Waiting4Parents

Update:

My parents finally got their visa issued! They had their interview on Jan 8, 2018 and we were asked to submit DS-5535 a week later for my dad only. I noticed updates almost everyday for a couple of weeks and then it was nothing. They were issued visa a week ago. For what I have seen, for parents it is a quick process andDS-5535 is not a common ask, but either way, we had to go through that wait regardless. 

I wish each and everyone here the best of luck and I hope your wait ends soon!

1 hour ago, Saeed khn said:

Hi there!

My parents aged 60 went through an interview on 3rd of January (immigrant visa)

US Embassy Islamabad kept their passports and they received a white slip.

the next day my father received an email regards DS5535.

we submitted the info on 7th jan.

his case was updated on 8th, 12th, 16th, 20, and 23rd of jan..

what do u reckon when are they going to get visas.?

however my mother case was updated only 2 times which was 16th and 23rd jan..( today)

please share your experiences 

thanks

Hi,

We both are in the same boat. It's possible our parents crossed paths at the embassy as well. 

My parents, over 60, had an interview for their immigration visa at Islamabad on 3rd January as well. Despite the fact that all of the documents were meticulously submitted ahead of time, they were still given a white slip and their passports were kept. I received the request to fill DS-5535 on the 9th for my dad only, which was submitted right away. Since then, I have seen updates on his case almost everyday, except for a couple of days without any activity. My mom's case was updated only once, which was 23rd. Just like you, and everyone else on this forum, I have no idea what is going on or how long would it take. I sent an inquiry for my mom a few days back and got a response that the case is under AP.  I was thinking we were the only one's who were going through this (particularly for parents immigration) and was starting to get concerned. At this point, it is all prayers and positive hopes. Please keep us updated! I will keep everyone informed about the progress as well. 

19 hours ago, Tarsha said:

I saw a recent post on this thread the other day that the poster’s dad received it after the interview. If I’m not mistaken, the interview was January 3rd. 

Yes. My dad was requested to fill out a form that is identical to DS-5535 after his interview on Jan 3rd. Even if the form is not in use "officially", I am assuming it is still being requested. Either way, it is causing the cases to slow down. 

No update since I sent the DS-5535 via email. 

14 minutes ago, deab said:

The only problem is, AP is where we are all at, and AP goes through many government agencies for review. There is no way for us to know for sure if some of the agencies involved in that process would be affected or not. If they are all of our cases could go into a holding pattern until Congress can come to an agreement and the government gets back up and running again. If there is a shut down, each agency will be playing catch up from the shut down along with dealing with the case loads they already had. 😕

I am a US federal employee, although not with DOS or USCIS, overall vibe is that all of the non-emergency/non-essential employees will not be working until the budget is resolved. I am assuming issuing visas and running background checks is not something that is critical for US operations and thus would be halted unless they have their budget allocated already, which is very rare for the government. Regardless, usually the shutdowns do not last that long. And it is still likely that things resolve over the weekend. If not, it will definitely affect all of those who are pending investigation from the US.

1 minute ago, Tarsha said:

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anyone who has received a ds-5535 for petitioning their parents. It’s probably definitely stressful being that your dad received it and not your mom! Did your mom receive her visa? 

She has not. Her status also states "Admin Processing". I am assuming she has been held bacak because of my dad's processing. Either way, it is frustrating. I hope this limbo ends soon for all of us. 

I applied for green card for my parents last year, they had their interview in the Islamabad, Pakistan on January 3rd, 2018. At the day of interview, they were given the white slip and were told that they will be contacted if anything is needed (all the documents were complete). A week later, I got a request to fill out supplemental questionnaire, which looks like DS-5535, for my dad only. I noticed daily updates to his case after that, for about 5 days and now there is nothing. I know it is a bit too early for me to worry, but I have not seen anyone who got the AP for their parents (1R5) visa category. Anyone have an idea how long it can take? I have waited a long time to apply for them and it is very frustrating. 

Thank you!