jake123

15 hours ago, katy01 said:

@jake123 did your case resolve? what happened? how long did you end up waiting? I want my fiancee to apply for an 01 - he gets radio airplay on BBC among many other things......let me know how your case resolved. all the best x

Hi, yes my case was eventually approved! I posted on another thread my full time line of events so if you're interested in reading my story, search for 'O1 notification of revocation. Please help!'. Here you'll be able to see everything that happened.

So long story short, I was approved and am now in the US. It wasn't without a lot of stress and waiting around though. From first approval by USCIS, to actually getting the visa stamped in my passport was about a year and 3 months... It definitely isn't like this for everyone but some people do get bad luck with the process and I was one of them. 

If you have any questions feel free to ask as I've hit just about every hurdle along the way to get my O1!

On 3/9/2019 at 11:45 AM, ChiUK said:

The one thing my lawyer insisted upon approval was under no circumstance to do my interview at the London consulate... so i chose to take mine in Ireland (i wasn't asked question as to why my filing location was different from interview)

Bear that in mind future filers...

Hi yes I definitely won't be going back to London for my next O1. I went for a B1 visa at the Belfast embassy and no issues there. London are particularly strict. 

On 3/15/2019 at 12:03 AM, fs2439 said:

Congratulations, Jake! So happy for you! If they didn't know who you are, should have asked in this thread what city are you moving to or did you move to?

Thank you! Sorry I just realised I never replied to this. Yea I worry if they saw this thread they might try to use it against me! I've just moved to Los Angeles, been here for 2 months now. Still pretty new in town!

55 minutes ago, geowrian said:

I would also point out they cannot refuse the visa for the same reason(s) with the same evidence. They would need to have either a different reason to refuse it again, or the same reason but due to new evidence.

Yea I think the London Embassy do seem to operate under their own rules as they see fit. I was told after my first interview they give a lot of musicians going for the O1 a hard time. Shame I wasn't told before I had my interview...

For my second appointment however, even after being affirmed by USCIS, the consular officer basically said 'this interview is for famous people so why should we give it to you?', this is arguably not the criteria for this visa.

She said USCIS will approve anything and that they never read applications and that the Embassy has the ultimate authority on who they grant visa's to. She didn't say why she was not going to issue the visa, just that they would need to review it again. She didn't give any new evidence or reasons, it literally seemed like she was going off the fact that she didn't know who I was, therefore I don't deserve this visa. Completely crazy. 

Anyway it worked out as after reviewing it again, someone within the Embassy clearly thought I still deserve it after checking my evidence and history with being approved by USCIS twice. 

Hello everyone, I'm updating this for anyone who is either still following or may stumble across this as I noticed a lot of similar posts I was following never seemed to have any resolve, or the OP just stopped responding. 

I do have positive news so if you are in a similar situation, know that it can turn out well in the end though it wasn't without a lot of stress and hassle. Here is a rough time line of events for my story;

2016 - June - I started my application, I was very slow at gathering paper work so it took me a long time to get my application ready, this could have been done much quicker if I was more proactive about it.

2017 - May - I submit my application

2017 - June - I receive an RFE (referral for evidence) so I had to gather more information for my case.

2017 - September/October - I resubmit with new evidence

2017 - December - I'm approved by USCIS

2018 - January 3rd (can't forget that day...) - I have my appointment at the US Embassy in London for my interview. I'm told my case needs to be reviewed in more detail. I receive a refusal under section 221g form. 

2018 - January 4th - I receive an email by the Embassy with a notification of revocation stating that the decision has to go back to USCIS for the final say.  

2018 - November - I receive an email from my lawyer stating USICS are affirming (approving) their previous decision. I arrange my next appointment at the embassy to submit my passport for visa processing.

2019 - January 24th - I have my second appointment at the US embassy in London (now new location), I explain my situation so far and how I've been affirmed by USCIS. To my knowledge I was supposed to hand over my passport no questions asked now USCIS have re-approved me after London recommended to revoke my application. 
The consular officer tells me they need to review my case again and that I will have a response within the week. I'm given another refusal under section 221g form. At this point my heart sinks as I know what this means, I'd already lost a year waiting for this moment, only to be told the exact same thing as last time. 
2019 - January 29th - I receive an email from the Embassy asking me to submit my passport and approval notice for visa processing. 
2019 - February 12th - I submit my passport for processing

2019 - February 22nd - My passport is returned with my O1 visa. 

So the whole process from the very beginning has taken me over 2 and a half years but I finally had a positive outcome. I think I received a particularly difficult time, I don't think all cases are this problematic (some are worse) but it did work out so if you are reading this and are in a similar situation, it's not the end of the world, it can work out. 

I have lost over a year of my visa however, the O1 visa lasts 3 years but as my application was submitted such a long time ago, my visa start date is counted from then. So my visa expires December 2020 and I will then have to go through this process all over again (should I choose to...).

If anyone is going through a similar process please don't hesitate to ask me anything. The hardest thing about this situation is how little information is given to you from any official bodies. The constant waiting and not knowing what is going on is incredibly frustrating so hopefully I can help clarify some things if anyone needs it. Good luck!

On 10/18/2018 at 3:38 AM, vibeluck7 said:

That is really no good

 

Is there anyway you could do now? maybe ask your attorney again, it seems really nervous.

Yes I'm speaking again with my lawyer. They have some ideas but it seems once you're in this situation, there's pretty much nothing you can do to speed it up. 

On 11/3/2018 at 6:27 PM, vibeluck7 said:

Hi Jake, how is thing going there, did you solve your problem?

 

My application was just approved yesterday, may I have a question for you? Did you print another copy of your whole applciation package to go interview?

Thank you!

Hey still no news on my end, same situation as before. 

When I had my interview yes I had a copy of my entire application with all my evidence for my case with me. The consular officer didn't look at it though, not sure if that's standard practice or if they are supposed to? 

9 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Seems quite a bit of the H1b fraud has moved to O and L and is impacting those applications.

I didn't realise this was an issue but would make sense seeing as how slow things are moving. 

On 10/17/2018 at 2:55 AM, Hanna045 said:

I emailed couple other lawyers

But Jane O’brigel in NY was good.

Have you tried to call the embassy in your country and ask about your case?

Or hire new lawyer who can help to contact the embassy directly.

I am really hoping it will go smoothly !!

 

Yes I called the embassy back when I was first put in administrative processing. They were hopeless and pretty rude, didn't seem willing to help at all. I could try again now that some time has passed but from what I've read, most embassy's won't tell you anything. 

A lawyer could be a way to get some fresh advice however the cost of starting again with someone new isn't appealing. 

I'm sure things will progress, I just need to figure out how best to move things along!

On 10/17/2018 at 2:18 AM, vibeluck7 said:

Why this took so long??? I have been asking my couples friend in Arts, they either went to China consular or Portugal, and quickly got it in one week. Either one of them has background check, but just one week late. 

 

Is this your 1st application?

Yes this is my first application. Not sure why it's taking so long, I'm guessing security has become much tighter over the past year or two so everything has slowed down. 

2 minutes ago, vibeluck7 said:

I 

I wish you are not artist however your case scared me. 

Hopefully you get solved quickly...

 

What is the situation now?

Thanks.

Yes hopefully things will start moving, but at the moment I've had no news since January when I was put in administrative processing. I'm looking into other possible solutions now as it's going incredibly slowly.  

On 10/14/2018 at 9:37 AM, Hanna045 said:

Hi, My O1 visa was finally approved after 5weeks from AP notification, however, I called an American embassy in my country ( where I had an interview and have stuck after AP) couple times and ask them how long the process of my case will be. Of course they won’t answer the questions but the desk informed my case NO. and about I had to come back to the states for my new job to my viewing officer.

I think that was helpful to make the case faster. Unfortunately, my lawyer Kate didn’t help me nothing and so disrespectful. I ended up with hiring another lawyer for another adovice and help.

 

Great to hear you got your visa, mine is still processing! Sorry to hear you didn't have a great experience with Kate but good you finally got your situation sorted. If you don't mind me asking which lawyer did you move to after Kate?

On 10/14/2018 at 8:05 PM, vibeluck7 said:

Hi, Jake: May I ask if your O visa is specifically for O1A or O1B? 

Thank you!!

Mine would be for an O1B as I am a musician. Would this make any difference to processing times?

On 10/5/2018 at 10:16 PM, vibeluck7 said:

Hi, Jake:

 

I sorry to hear your story, I agreed someone here just recommended refile a new one with Premium processing, which will be much faster for you to wait an unsure case.

 

May I also have a question for you, how long took you to get an notification for consular processing interview in your country after your O1 petition got approved?

 

Thank you!!

Yes refiling with premium processing is what a lot of people in my situation have been doing as it does seem to be faster than just waiting indefinitely. 

If you're talking about how long it took me to get an interview at the embassy after I was approved by USICS, not long, I was able to schedule an interview about a week after the approval. 

If you're referring to how long after the interview at the embassy I was put into administrative processing, I found out the next day by email and I've been waiting ever since for an answer from USICS...

On 9/5/2018 at 5:22 PM, alfie88 said:

Hi,

 

What was the outcome of this?

Hi there,

This is still on going unfortunately! I spoke with my lawyer recently to ask if they can contact USCIS, as 180 days have passed since my case being received by USCIS we are now able to enquire as to the status of my case. 

USCIS wrote back saying they will give us some information in about 3 - 4 weeks.

So until then, nothing has changed. It's taking a very long time!

10 hours ago, Hanna045 said:

Thanks for the info! I just checked USCIS website but my status seems like still original approved notice. How do you see your status updated as “received requested revoking” on USCIS website? I don’t think the consulate in my country notify us if they request revoking to USCIS or not. They just put us on hold as AP.

Have you thought applying GC? Since it’s not non-immigrat visa, it might be different categories and not really Visa shopping? Let me know your thought!

Did they tell you at the Embassy they were recommending to revoke your visa? I'm guessing that if the USCIS website still has the initial approval notice then they might not have received your Embassy's decision. I could be wrong though. Either way, with my case it doesn't say anywhere that my status has been revoked or even recommended to be revoked, it just says administrative processing. I only found out they were recommending to revoke my approved status through an email from the Embassy. 

I guess it depends on what they told you at the interview? 

What do you mean when you say 'applying GC'? 

3 hours ago, Hanna045 said:

Hi I have a similar problem with same lawyer Kate Raynor. 

I’m stuck in my home country right now after I got a visa interview to renew my O1visa. I still have my apartment, car and my job in the states. My visa status is still under administrative processing on CEAC after one month from the interview, not revoking processing. I am not sure if each country shows visa status differently?  How did you get the notification of revoking? According to embassy’s website, administrative processing is supposed to finish within 60days.

Hey, I think the CEAC site is the same for everyone. I was told at the end of the interview they would need to review my case in further detail, then the next day I received an email saying they were recommending to revoke my visa. Now the website just says 'Administrative Processing'. No updates yet and it's been 4 and half months since my interview. I know this waiting period can vary greatly depending on each case, some are resolved very quickly, some I've read about have gone over a year. I'm hoping I'm not the latter. 

Have you checked your case status here; https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/mycasestatus.do 

With this you can at least see if USCIS has received your case or not. I can see that they received my case in February, so one would hope that it wouldn't be too much longer if we know they have it.

Hopefully this has been helpful! Sorry I don't have better news, it seems once you're put in this situation you're left high and dry so all you can do it remain hopeful your case will be seen quickly. 

4 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Might be an idea to get a few opinions on your case from other Lawyers.

 

I have been surprised by who has qualified in the past. But have seen those with good cases succeed recently.

Yea I've spoken to a few other firms, the general consensus is either to wait for a response or withdraw and reapply. Both options aren't great as waiting indefinitely could mean I could lose the job offers that got me the initial approval, but then reapplying is costly and there is no guarantee it'll get approved a second time round. 

So that's why it would be good to know if there is a possible end in sight to the waiting period for someone in my position. 

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I only know people who went through London so do not know the relative standing.

I was told that since Trump came into power it's become much more strict and that it never used to be so tricky. 

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

Are you using Lawyers who specialise in these. I know people here on O1's and have a rough idea of what they needed to provide.

 

The Consulate adjudge the credentials, the US side is to make sure the paper work has been properly filed.

Yea I have lawyers who put my case together and told me what I need to provide. I guess it's like I was saying, that the London US embassy is just particularly strict compared to other embassy's. 

5 minutes ago, Boiler said:

The usual reason would be that the Consulate do not consider you qualify for an O1 and have sent the petition back to be revoked.

That is what it seems, it's a shame as I would've thought that USCIS approving it in the first place would be enough evidence that I qualify. 

11 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Ahhh

 

Well that makes a bit more sense.

 

So first things first, what does your Lawyer say, they will be fully aware of your case and any potential issues.

Well they're saying to wait for a response as they think I should hear very soon as we're nearly at 60 days since USCIS received my case. They say most of the time it does get approved, which is why I was wondering if anyone knew the potential response time when we know the case has been received by USCIS. 

Otherwise withdrawing and reapplying is another potential route. 

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

It is very abnormal so what is different with your application?

Well I'm a musician, had an approved O1 visa from USCIS in December. I don't think there is anything different about my application. I was told after my interview that London has become known for causing problems with people who are applying for visas like mine. 

11 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Depends, why did you get a 221G?

They didn't say. The consular officer just said we need to review your case further and that was it. I've tried contacting the embassy but they're no help. From what I understand you'll only know what the issue is/was when you get a reply from USCIS.

Hopefully someone can help, I know there is no way to know how long it takes for administrative processing under 221g to be completed as each case is different. However I have been checking with USCIS and can see that my case was received at the end of February (2018). Once we know USCIS has a case, does anyone know what the wait time could potentially be? It has been nearly 4 months since I received my notification of revocation from the US embassy in London. 

Thanks!