nyctor

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

Hey guys! I've been silent for awhile, but here's my timeline to share ya'll! Hope it helps. 
Interview: Dec. 16, 2021 (IR1 visa)
Got DS5535 at the interview and sent my information back on the same day. 
Status Updates:
(I had more updates between January and June, but I did not keep a record of them.)
Jul. 15, 2022
Aug. 30, 2022
Sept. 19, 2022
Sept. 22, 2022
Sept. 23, 2022
Sept. 27, 2022
 
Received an email from Montreal to send additional documents on Sept. 28, 2022
I had to redo my medical which was on Oct. 13, 2022. 
More updates on:
Oct. 5, 2022
Oct. 25, 2022
Finally today Nov. 16, 2022 it changed to ISSUED! 
 
We thought about filing WOM and had a consultation with one of the lawyers suggested here. We decided not to after the consultation. If you have any questions for me, I am happy to answer! 
 
Here's my question if any of you can answer:
Once I receive my passport, can I cross the border and come back to Canada to take care of things here? Or is it a single entry visa that I can cross only once?
Thanks! 
 

So folks,
 
Thought I should share some news to bring some ray of hope back to this group.
 
Finally, our visas have been issued as per CEAC system. It seems that they are still under processing and should be mailed out soon.
 
It took a while  but  this journey definitely tested my patience and trust in the process
Interview: Oct 2021
Visa Issued: May 2022
 
Good luck to you all!

Here we are, another week down into the black hole. If there is an intention to resolve these cases, I do not see it. I cannot think of any bureaucratic justification for why it would take greater than 6 months to vet anyone for security after having vetted them several times at previous stages. I just cannot. This just feels deliberate. 

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. It’s refreshing knowing we’re all experiencing this together. I do believe there is an end in sight here. We have no option but to be positive and keep helping each other out through sharing information as best as we can. Let me share my story and experiences… 
 
My interview: 
February 14th and I had initially thought Valentine’s Day was a positive sign to ending this disconcerting process. At the end of the interview, the CO recommended approval. Cloud 9 was reached with a huge sigh of relief. The feeling of being in “life limbo” was over. A new beginning awaits. Finally, it’s time!
 
The dreaded DS 5535:
Only a few hours after sharing my news, as well as rambling on about VDay being some form of omen to friends and family, my Cloud 9 immediately went dark. The sound of thunder heard from my iPhone of an email notification was the request of the DS 5535 officially bringing this black hole of an undue process alive. I must say though, it definitely wasn’t only a 60 min burden to complete this, as noted in the form’s footer - haha, this thing literally took me hours upon hours to complete! Thank you coffee and beer!
 
After a blast to my exhilarating past, I tiredly clicked send and emailed DS 5535 as a Word Document on February 16th (@Danii hit me up in your spreadsheet). My case status updated twice that week. I didn’t receive an email confirmation nor automatic reply, most likely because I “replied” to their email.
 
But what could have triggered the need for AP? I apprehensively checked my case status hourly at first (just imagine their IT team reviewing the number of times we login to check our case status?… Lol) to now only a few times each day - only to false hope myself for a mere case status update. Please?! I have become my own worst enemy searching for impossible answers for being in AP, though; I do have a technical educational background and work history, and I have travelled extensively over the years.
 
Emailing the Consulate:
I emailed the consulate twice starting in March inquiring on whether they received my DS 5535, the status of my case (the “Refused” really threw me off initially, thank you so much Google for clarifying this definition in this context), and timeline to process this type of form. The consulate emailed back in less than 5 business days each time with a personalized email added to a standard email reply. Contentedly, they addressed my specific questions and mentioned they cannot predict a timeline for this process, but can be lengthy. Well that feeling really sucked.
 
My thoughts on mandamus:
While I think it’s a good option, the one thing that’s resonating with me is that it could force the consular officer to unwillingly adjudicate and make a final decision on an inconclusive case. They could, hypothetically speaking, deny a case if they feel there’s a potential threat to security, or an unresolved investigation is still pending for that matter. The caveat here is, there is uncertainty whether or not a given case received a “hit” in their database or, rather; they’re strategically employing this black hole of a process as a means to reduce the significant backlog of cases from 2021? But there goes my mind again. How can it not?
 
So we wait and each new week in AP for me be all like… 
Monday brings on hope and some form of bizarre happiness. Friday brings on further questioning, frustration, and a sense of hopelessness if no case updates occur, or email inquiries answered. It really sucks approaching weekends because we know nothing happens on weekends. But in an uncanny way, gives our minds a bit of a break. I tell ya… lol.
 
Thanks for reading this everyone, and hope this helped put a smile on your face today
 
 
 

I'm interested! 
@Danii interview date: Dec. 16th, 2021
ds5535 sent: Dec. 16th, 2021
category: IR1
no other documents provided 

Hi! I'm new to this thread, but read all the posts from page 1. Well I had my interview on December 16th and received the email on the same day. I sent the replies later that day. No changes since December 21st. I had TN visa before applying IR1. Did anyone have TN before applying? Wish I knew about VJ before. I only found out recently.