DamAk

14 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

My wife hasn’t sent, no, but i definitely have sent emails with header emphasizing the medical expiry, and the congressperson’s office did inquire. I don’t know man.

Although im not a USC, I also wrote something similar in my email to the consulate as @GraceFace33 to get the "we're looking into your case" response.

My exact inquiry was: "In the last email, you mentioned that my case was still pending to be reviewed by a consular officer. I'm simply requesting some transparency as to why we keep getting skipped since the only thing that was requested of me was the medical report. Can you please look into this?"

I was also super emotional when I wrote that email and mentioned some personal things to put in to perspective for them that there is a human on the other side, not just a case number.

We definitely deserve to know why our case is hanging in limbo, esp @ice-qube and @BatmanFlow and others who have been waiting forever, and I think its a valid question for the consulate as well.

30 minutes ago, Hello100 said:

When they email you "a Consular Officer is currently reviewing your case," is that also generic, or is that more positive than the usual "you're currently under AP" type of thing?

I believe that's one of their generic responses, esp if you got it from OP03.

Their response to each of my inquiries (up until last week) was "Your case is pending to be reviewed by a consular officer" aka it still hadn't been touched since my medical was received. I think yours is a lot more of a positive response since it's being handled by someone.

Thankfully it changed to "we are looking into your case" this week.

5 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

Yep, it was created for 'extreme vetting' under Trump admin, and from all appearances, is being used *more*, and not less, by State Dept under Biden. 

But why for Canadians? It makes absolutely no sense

17 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

Look at all this impotent rage, so to speak. It's like a complete defeat. I am literally trying to reconcile myself to another several months, at least, of this, so that I don't just turn completely bitter.

Are there other representatives you can try contacting, like other congresspersons? Some may be a little more assertive than others when reaching out to the consulate, especially since you're so close to the medical expiring. I don't think it would hurt your case contacting multiple people (Sorry if you've already done that, haven't read the full chat)

28 minutes ago, Tony Nikolovski said:

I think it is too. I majorly messed up at the interview when the Consular Officer asked me where I traveled to in the last 5 years. I mentioned Serbia as one of the countries, and I stupidly replied, "I traveled to my 'home country' of Serbia" (even though I'm born and raised in Canada). She then asked me, "YOUR home country or your parents'?" where I then replied "Oh yeah, my parents'" (even thought that was also not technically accurate as my mom is born Canadian and my dad was born in Macedonia not Serbia). I didn't even clarify that I was born in Canada, but I didn't think I needed to if I already provided my long-form birth certificate which clearly states this. I should've clarified, "BORN AND RAISED IN WINDSOR, ONTARIO––BORDER CITY WITH DETROIT, MICHIGAN." I might've had a better chance if I said that...maybe.

Honestly looking back, there were some things I wish I clarified more during the interview too. Thinking about it scares me because who know what innocent thing you say might trigger something, makes me want to just sit in a corner and cry lol.

But tbh I think just the fact that you visited Sebria might have triggered it for you rather than what you said, who knows. 😞

2 minutes ago, BatmanFlow said:

That’s hopeful!

I'm definitely hoping for some sort of positive update by the end of this week, although it seems unlikely given the pace they're working at.

Got a different response (I don't think this is copy/paste) from the consulate on Monday to my inquiry from 2 weeks ago. This was from OP11 instead of our usual friend OP03.

2 hours ago, Federico said:

Issued. Early morning feeling like a boss.

Congratulations!! 

On 2/19/2022 at 2:09 AM, krzz said:

Hello All,

 

I have petitioned an application for my parents. My mum just got DQ-ed! YAY. Whats the current wait time for Interviews in Montreal?

However my Dad got a review note for his case. 

 

The cases, and the paperwork are the same for both. I have submitted the same TAX info for both petitions however, NVC is asking for tax documents that don't apply in my case for my Dads case..

 

What's the best recourse for me?

 

Does this mean my parents will have interviews on different days?

 

assistance will be appreciated.

 

Thank you

 

 

I believe DQ to IL is around 2 months now for IR1/CR1 cases. I dont know the exact number for other family visa categories but seeing how fast Montreal caught up in just a span of few months for spouses, I don't think you'll have to wait too long.

If your dad gets DQ'd soon, they may have the interview at the same time or within a couple days of each other, its hard to tell. Emailing NVC to let them know you filed their petition together and would prefer if they had the interview on the same day might help, I'm not sure.

As for the tax documents, I think someone else would have a better answer. Hope this was somewhat helpful lol.

1 hour ago, Redie said:

 Yes it is a huge relief! I received a very similar email response as you did . I know it can be very worrisome when someone  who was interviewed after you with same 221 g medical gets their visa approved. There were quite a few people that interviewed after me that received their visa as well. Wishing you all the best!

Thank you! 

Good luck on your move!!

7 minutes ago, Redie said:

Hi there, I honestly think you have nothing to worry about. My interview was Nov 2, and I was issued a 221g due to delayed medical as well. My visa was finally issued on Feb 15, over 3 months after receipt of medical.  Have you sent an email inquiry to the consulate?

Hi, I did send two inquiries (Feb 3 and Feb 15), both sent after I saw a few other people get their visa issued despite being given 221g for the medical (had similar timelines with the interview date as mine, and one had their interview after mine). The third time I emailed was today to update them about the DS260 mistake. 

Initially i thought my medical report was uploaded on Jan 24 (I called the clinic to ask if they received the blood work from Public Health, which they did and said they were working on uploading mine. That day there was also an update on CEAC). So the first time I emailed the consulate was Jan 24 informing them of the update. But a few days after, I got an email from the panel physician saying my report was uploaded, so I found out the consulate didn't get my report on Jan 24, but instead on Jan 27. This I corrected in my email on Feb 3. 

This was their response.

"Thank you for your inquiry.  

We acknowledge receipt of your medical report from the panel physician. This case is currently pending to be reviewed by a consular officer. As soon as the review is complete, the Visa Unit will advise of the next steps if anything else is needed to complete processing the case. 

We realize that these extended time periods cause frustration to many individuals, and we are sensitive to the fact that the purpose of the immigrant visa program is to facilitate legitimate travel to the U.S.  Nonetheless, the Consulate in Montreal, like all U.S. Embassies and Consulates, must adjudicate visas in accordance with the provisions of the law, and, in some cases, this involves extensive consular review and administrative processing. While we cannot predict when the processing of your visa will be completed, please be assured that the Consulate and the Department of State are aware of your concerns and will contact you as soon as the processing is complete. 

We hope that this information is helpful in replying to your inquiry.  

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. "

You guys have truly helped me feel so much better. I think comparison is the culprit to my anxiety here.

Also, a very hearty congratulations on the approval!! Man I can imagine your relief. ❤

1 hour ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

From your description, it sounds like you were issued a 221g simply because of your medicals being delayed. If your medicals had arrived on time, you would have been approved. You have also not been issued a DS5535.

 

So I really don’t think you are being flagged for security reasons.

 

Being born in India does not really flag you for security issues either as far as I know (being an Indian citizen). As far as I know Montreal has not issued any DS5535s to Indian citizens. India is for sure a high fraud country and when applying in India, the Mumbai consulate scrutinises your case for fraud (marriage or otherwise). But Montreal consulate wouldn’t treat you any differently than a Canadian born in Canada.
 

For whatever weird reason Montreal just takes ridiculously long in some cases to issue visas for people with delayed medicals (or any other missing document for that matter).

 

I can appreciate it is hard, and I would be thinking of all the bad scenarios too if I were in your place, but I really think you will be ok. Montreal will eventually look at your medicals and issue you the visa.

This is a reassuring thing to hear. Thank you 🤧

This really is a very (removed) situation considering the number of months people have to wait and live away from their spouse. 

I can't really think of anything else I can do at this point in time, and hopefully not come up with new worst-case scenarios in the meantime.

 Emailing the consulate for updates hasn't been much help so I am thinking of reaching out to our congressmen/senator if we reach the 60 day mark.

Hi everyone,

I had my interview on Jan 21 and received a 221g for delayed medical results. My medical was sent on Jan 27 and since then I've had no update. I didn't get a DS-5535 but I have reached the 4-weeks mark since the interview. The delay is making me super emotional and I'm thinking of anything and everything that might be causing this. 

I just checked the DS260 that I filled out and noticed one of the dates under my employment history was wrong (I wrote 2020 instead of 2019). I immediately sent an email to the consulate updating them of this (I also mentioned that I am no longer working with my "current" employer). Somehow I missed this prior to the interview, and despite going over the form multiple times before submitting it to NVC. I did however write the correct dates during the USCIS stage when filling out the form i-130a so hopefully this will tell them it was an honest mistake.

I am also a Canadian citizen but born in India. Came to Canada with my parents when I was 8. Even though I've been in Canada, would my birth place affect the AP time, since India is considered a high fraud country? 

This is so disheartening and I guess I am just looking for reassurance from someone who might have an idea of what may happen in this case.

2 hours ago, DamAk said:

I didn't update the CO about this during the time of the interview since it wasn't brought up and due to the fact that my employer asked me if I could work remotely temporarily after my move.

Correction: I don't remember if my current job was brought up during the interview. But I do know that at the time, I was asked to work remotely. So if asked, I would have said I'm with the same employer.

Hi everyone,

I had my interview on January 21 and was waiting on my medical to be sent for the visa to be processed. They received the medical on Jan 27. As of right now, my visa is still refused and the last time I contacted the consulate, they mentioned that my case is still waiting to be reviewed by the consulate officer (Feb 4). The date hasn't updated on CEAC since (maybe it's in AP?)

Obviously at this point, I'm kind of worried about what's happening with my case since there's no transparency, and I keep coming up with scenarios as to why my case hasn't been reviewed yet. They still have my passport so idk if that's a good sign.

Now I have some questions to clear up any assumptions I might be making as to why this is taking so long. Any help would be extremely helpful.

1. I'm a Canadian citizen but born in India. Came to Canada with my parents when I was 8. Even though I've been in Canada, would my birth place affect the AP time, since India is considered a high fraud country? 

2. I was working under a 1 year contract at my previous job, and my last day was 3 weeks before my interview (end of Dec 2021). I didn't update the CO about this during the time of the interview since it wasn't brought up and due to the fact that my employer asked me if I could work remotely temporarily after my move. I'm officially not working there anymore as the employer hired a new on-site employee.

Is there any way I can update this now, while I'm in AP? Will updating this affect my processing time further? This just came to mind since I'm now looking for another job (didn't think I'd have to until I got to the US) in Canada. 

My husband isn't really worried. He's patiently waiting out the wait since I was only refused due to the medical. His peace is helping me stay calm and not overthink too much lol. A third person insight regarding the job aspect would be really appreciated though because I had no intention of being dishonest, and I'm afraid of it seeming this way to them. I just don't know what to do about updating them. Please help.

Edit: I filled out the DS-260 in July and mentioned I was presently working with the employer at that time, before submitting everything. Since then I haven't updated anything on it.

20 hours ago, jmkmqp said:

Does the embassy ask for petitioner’s birth certificate at the interview? I’m finding it varies from applicant to applicant based on research. Not sure why

I was asked for it during the interview for IR1/CR1 along with his tax forms. I did also upload it online. My husband has a CRBA certificate so idk if that was the reason they asked but I gave that along with a photocopy of his passport bio page.

12 hours ago, s2dat10 said:

 

Just thought I would share my wife's experience especially since everyone seems to be in this pending medical situation. She had her interview on Jan 21 without medical. Everything went well but the case was assigned a refused status on CEAC. Two days later, the medical results were sent over and the case was moved over to AP on Jan 27.  On Jan 31, it was then updated to final processing and yesterday, we received an email with the shipment notice.

Hope this helps! (still need to update the overall timeline lol).

That's extremely quick and wonderful to hear! Congratulations!

12 hours ago, Sarpor4 said:

My medical arrive to the consulate last week.

If you don't mind me asking, what date did the medical reach the consulate?

@CK90 Congratulations, that's awesome to hear! Best of luck on the move! 😁

6 hours ago, affy said:

Hey everyone! Wondering if I could get some help re. a question I have about my case. CEAC status checker says "Ready" and formerly said "Case Last Updated: 12-Nov-2021." I reached out to MTL last Wednesday via email to confirm our DQ (as we were surprised to not be in the last batch of IL's) and they emailed back today with a very canned response which can be found at the bottom of this post. 

 

Our CEAC status tracker now says "Ready" and "Case Last Updated: 19-Jan-2022" Does this mean that they've changed the date of our DQ? Or is this just something that happens when they check in our case from their end? I got nervous when I saw that as we've been waiting since Nov with "Ready" in the CEAC and that maybe this would push our timeline out further...

 

---

"Your case will be reviewed by our staff and when we have availability, we will schedule your appointment. While we aim to schedule and process cases as soon as practicable, there are increased wait times for completing services due to the ongoing pandemic and substantial backlogs.  

 

Thank you for your patience and cooperation."

 

 

I don't think your DQ date will change regardless of when your case was last updated. I assume they'll let us know if the date is changed since they sent us an email the first time when we were DQ'd.

It's hard to tell what they're doing on the other end when our case date gets updated, probably just looked through your file.

1 hour ago, mam521 said:

Which consular officer "replied"? OP3?

It didn't say 🤷‍♀️

Seems like just a generic automated response they have for all email inquiries

6 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Yes, but "mail" doesn't have to be physical copies.  It can be a digital copy that is forwarded to the correct CO handling your case.  As @DGF said, there is a difference between receiving that piece of information (be it physical or digital) and it being redirected to the appropriate party (envelope or email forward/OneDrive share/etc).   One would think digital is easier, but clearly that appears not to be the case.  

I sent an email today to the consulate, informing them of the update in CEAC with my medical, with the intention of maybe getting my petition noticed and moved along quicker. Received the following automated email few minutes later: 

"Thank you for your inquiry to the Immigrant Visa Unit at U.S. Consulate General Montreal.

We are currently experiencing a larger than normal volume of emails. We will respond in the order that they are received. There is no need to resend your inquiry as it will only further delay response.  Thank you for your patience.

Please note, if an answer to your question is found below, you will not receive an individualized email response.  Otherwise, our goal is to respond within five (5) business days.  "

Let's see how this goes, will keep you all updated.

23 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

I honestly think the consulate spends only about 10-15 minutes total on each of our cases and that is solely when we are there at the interview. So if ANYTHING is pending, it would take them another 10-15 minutes of work to process and issue a visa. To them that is essentially a whole interview slot. So they have to wait for that slot to open up while they are also conducting other interviews…

 

The good news is that the backlog atleast for tier 2 has been reduced to almost nothing, which means Montreal could have some time slots available to work on these pending cases. This is ofcourse while they have to juggle the other tiers.

I've never thought about this. I feel like it would make more sense to assign people to deal specifically with cases in AP, rather than the COs who are also doing interviews.

7 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Looks like mid Feb is going to be your second anniversary. You should try to enter US only after this date, because then you would get a

10 year green card and not have to file for removal of conditions.

It is! Feb 14th lol

That is one of the few reasons helping me keep my head up in this painful process. We definitely don't want to deal with immigration again anytime soon.

15 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Congratulations on your anniversary 😊

Thank you! 😄

8 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Yes, unfortunately it can take several weeks to months for Montreal to issue the visa once they receive the medicals after the interview.

I have been reading about this being the case for almost everyone sadly. It's very misleading how they say 2-3 weeks but the actual processing time is much longer.

Hoping for a miracle to happen so we can finally be together before our anniversary mid-Feb lol

Medical was sent to the consulate today! Interview was Jan 21.

Date was updated on CEAC, status is still refused. I'm assuming this just means my medical has been submitted to the consulate but the CO hasn't reviewed it.