herecomestherain

Just wanted to let you guys know there’s a lot of movement on filed WOM cases. They settled 8 cases in August. Usually they settle 1-2 per month.
They seem to be devoting more resources to old cases so now is the time if you’re looking to file. Don’t love Goldstein.

Glad to let you all know that we got our visas issued and crossed the border. Exactly 1 year after the interview at Montreal. We did not go through the Mandamus route. 

Hi Everyone,
 
A while back I scoured the interned and I created a spread sheet to keep track of everyone's cases with the Montreal embassy.
I am opening it up to be edited by the pubic so if you don't see your case on here, please add it! It helps everyone get a sense of what is going on with AP.
I had removed usernames for everyone's privacy. If you'd like to add your user name instead please feel free to do so.
 
I couldn't keep up with maintain it so much so I apologize for missing some cases. I won't be maintaining the spread sheet so feel free to save backups incase anything gets altered or ruined (hopefully not).
 
I hope this spreadsheet helps you feel a sense of control or understanding on what is going on with your case. Love you guys; remember you're not alone.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g46wosHKeoKufm2FbiFok6AGf5dc-OOznMOXxpEBc90/edit?usp=sharing

Hi everyone, just an update on the trends we're seeing.
 
For me, seeing this information helps me feel a bit more in control of my life and I can know what to expect.
 
I find it extremely horrible that of the cases I've seen online, only 4 cases have been approved in the last 3 months, two of which had a WoM. Meanwhile on K-1 groups, people are jumping for joy and getting their visas at breakneck speeds. Most of these people have applied long after we have. I am happy for them, don't get me wrong. But it is hard not to be jealous, let's be honest.
 
It seems like WoM is the only way to get a case to move forward these days. Immigration is severely unstaffed and seems to be prioritising new cases and interviews instead of closing out cases that have been open for months. It's heartbreaking.
 
Of the cases reported online regarding Montreal Embassy
 
OPEN CASES:
No. reported open cases on VJ and FB: 41
Oldest Case: 244 days
Newest Case: 32 days
Average days open: 151 days
 
Interview Month:
October 2021: 7
November 2021: 4
December 2021: 7
January 2022: 4
February 2022: 12
March 2022: 5
April 2022: 1
May 2022: 1
June 2022:
 
APPROVED CASES IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS
Cases approved in the last 3 months: 4 (2 of which had Writ of Mandamus).
Average days open of cases approved in the last 3 months: 159 days
Oldest case approved in last 3 months: 204 days (WoM)
Shortest case approved in last 3 months: 117 days
 
APPROVED CASES 2022
Cases approved this year: 21
Average days for approval in 2022: 107 days.
 
Maybe we should all contact our senators with these numbers and show them what is actually going on. We should not have to pay 5K to be with our loved ones. We should not have to pay for two medical exams because we were asked to get one even though they knew they were going to hand us a DS-5535 and put us in AP.
 
I'm sure they are overwhelmed with applications but they need to allocate resources to the backlog in AP.
 

At the end of August, I'd reached out to a reporter at Bloomberg who reports on immigration. He'd written me back that he'd like to write a story once he cleared a few things off his plate.
 
He wrote me this morning asking for people who'd like to be interviewed (names off the record). If anybody here would like to tell him their stories, please let me know and I can put you in touch.
 
My wife's visa has been stuck in AP (interview at Frankfurt) since May 2022 and we filed mandamus/APA this past Wednesday. Will keep everybody updated on how that goes!
 
Please PM me your email address, how long you've been waiting, etc., and I'll put you in touch.

Hey everyone, good news! We FINALLY got our issuance and crossed the border last night to get the visa stamped. I will give a rundown here because VJ doesn't have a category for Diversity Visa on the timeline. I also understand that many people have been waiting longer than us, but please realize that Diversity Visas are only able to be issued until September 30th for each year, after that you are unable to obtain the visa and have to enter the lottery again. We entered for the 2022 DV in 2020, so we have been waiting 2 years for this.
 
Interview: June 9th 2022, Principal applicant was issued, beneficiary (Canadian citizen spouse) was Refused/221g/AP/DS-5535.
 
There was no obvious reason for why the "extreme vetting" was required, as with many people in this forum. No criminal history, no TAL degree or job, no travel history. It is possible there was a name check match as they have a common spanish last name.
 
We realized through this group that DS5535 can take an unlimited amount of time, and even worse: Montreal had a 50-60% AP refusal rate per interview. Yes, that's right, for every DV interview montreal did, there was a 50% chance of being placed on AP. We figured this out from the CEAC data collected for DV by consulate on xarthisius' website. Anecdotally in Montreal DV group chats, every person we spoke to except for 1 had been given the DS535. Many are Canadian citizens.
 
We hired a cheap lawyer (do not reccomend) and filed a Writ of Mandamus in July, thinking it would be a backup if they delayed until September to get us an issuance before the cutoff time. That first case was a mess, was transferred between courts and largely ignored by the government. It literally just showed up in a new district yesterday. Through this whole time we got the standard template emails of "We cant tell you anything just wait" when we tried to contact Montreal. The only variation we received was a recommendation that I activate my visa without my spouse. I don't think they understand how emotionally devastating this process is, and the lack of transparency could make anyone go insane.
 
We had spent the last 4 months heavily researching everything we could about 9FAM, 5535, lawsuits, INA sections etc and had talked to other lawyers about our options. Every lawyer we spoke to in the group chats/forums were quoting us up to 15k USD to do a last-minute lawsuit. I truly believe some of them are preying on people's desperation the closer it gets to the DV deadline. One even quoted us 6k USD, then a week later said "now it is 12k USD".
 
We made the decision to try to find a lawyer that would help us for the original quote of 6k USD. We went on pacermonitor and searched through all of the WoM lawsuits that were filed in DC recently and emailed around 20 with our story, and our budget. We got a few replies, but the fastest to reply was Christopher Casazza from PIC Law. We had a consulatation with him and he agreed to file our Temporary Restraining Order/Writ of Mandamus for us. Please be aware that a TRO is not always applicable, but in our unique circumstance, it was. We had all of our correct documents, one of us was approved, the candian refused and in AP for 4 months, the only requirements to DV eligibility outside of coutnry is high school graduation. If anyone is looking for a lawyer outside of the standard reccomended lawyers, I would really, really, really strongly reccomend this lawfirm (PIC Law). Many of the other lawyers (Goldstein, Hacking, Nimer, Murthy, Raju) seem to be WoM churn firms. No judgement on that, but having filed with Raju, then filing with Chris Casazza, there is a HUGE difference when you pick an attorney that actually cares about your case. If you're like me, I want to be able to talk about the lawsuit, not just file it and forget. PIC Law is a genuine immigration lawfirm and not a WoM churn farm trawling forums for desperate people.
 
Long story short, we filed the lawsuit, and a week later we had the visa approved. The "CLEARANCE RECEIVED" date is September 20th, CEAC updated to issued on September 21st, and on the physical visa it was printed on September 22nd. DOS contacted Montreal and then asked us to dismiss the lawsuit because it was issued. These lawsuits really seem to be what everyone thinks, the case is just sitting there and the lawsuit prioritzes your clearance. 

Once we received the passport in the mail, we went straight to Niagara and crossed to stamp the visa. After 4 months of fried nerves, it is finally over and we can't believe it. Looking at the Montreal issuance rates, with 1 day left (because they're taking a vacation on Sept 30th), it really seems to me that this lawsuit was 100% responsible for us getting our visa approved in time. There are 149 DV Cases issued (249 visas) and 27 cases on 221G/5535 (49 visas). It is very possible that 49 people lose their chance of getting a green card because of Montreal's high 5535 rate. They sped up towards the end of the year, but wow. It is horrific what they are doing, and apparently mostly to Canadian citizens.
 
Once more, I can't thank Christopher Casazza enough. I can't post a link here, but Chris, Alex Isbel (two name partners) and Caitlin Costello all helped with our visa at the lawfirm PIC Law (Philadelphia Immigration Lawyers).

Hi Everyone,
 
A while back I scoured the interned and I created a spread sheet to keep track of everyone's cases with the Montreal embassy.
I am opening it up to be edited by the pubic so if you don't see your case on here, please add it! It helps everyone get a sense of what is going on with AP.
I had removed usernames for everyone's privacy. If you'd like to add your user name instead please feel free to do so.
 
I couldn't keep up with maintain it so much so I apologize for missing some cases. I won't be maintaining the spread sheet so feel free to save backups incase anything gets altered or ruined (hopefully not).
 
I hope this spreadsheet helps you feel a sense of control or understanding on what is going on with your case. Love you guys; remember you're not alone.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g46wosHKeoKufm2FbiFok6AGf5dc-OOznMOXxpEBc90/edit?usp=sharing

Hi yes I can do that. I won’t be adding people’s screen names because it’s a tonne of work for me and personally I believe it is best to keep things more private. People can look up their own cases because they know their dates and compare them to other’s.
 
Give me a couple days and I’ll open it up, though someone should save a copy because strangers mess public sheets up all the time.

Just wanted to let you guys know there’s a lot of movement on filed WOM cases. They settled 8 cases in August. Usually they settle 1-2 per month.
They seem to be devoting more resources to old cases so now is the time if you’re looking to file. Don’t love Goldstein.

Just wanted to let you guys know there’s a lot of movement on filed WOM cases. They settled 8 cases in August. Usually they settle 1-2 per month.
They seem to be devoting more resources to old cases so now is the time if you’re looking to file. Don’t love Goldstein.

Just wanted to let you guys know there’s a lot of movement on filed WOM cases. They settled 8 cases in August. Usually they settle 1-2 per month.
They seem to be devoting more resources to old cases so now is the time if you’re looking to file. Don’t love Goldstein.

Last year there were 19 WoM total. This year I see 25 SO FAR. They are getting slammed and I home it draws the attention of someone who actually cares.

Last year there were 19 WoM total. This year I see 25 SO FAR. They are getting slammed and I home it draws the attention of someone who actually cares.

Last year there were 19 WoM total. This year I see 25 SO FAR. They are getting slammed and I home it draws the attention of someone who actually cares.

June 3 filed, June 15 case updated to received, June 16 refused, June 19 asked for my passport back, June 30 passport delivered and put into administrative processing, issued July 8. I believe this is my lawsuit timeline. Going off memory but I believe that’s accurate. 

Unfortunately it is illegal to do work in the U.S. remotely without a visa, regardless of where the actual employer is located.
 
If you are caught you could face a 10 year ban. 
 
I looked into it myself but I was disappointed when I found out.
 
Not my business but I really feel for you and your family. You must be going through so much and I think everyone in this forum would agree that one of the worst parts of this whole situation is the “not knowing”. 
 
For everyone, especially newbies, I think setting a limit on how long you are willing to wait for AP to resolve will go a long way for your mental health.
 
For example, we decided we wanted an answer by the end of July. Once we decided on the date to file WoM, it felt like I took back a little bit of control of my life.
 
Set a date way in the future and put money aside for WoM weekly or monthly. The WoM was 5.5K USD. If the day comes and nothing has changed, you will have money set aside for it. If AP resolves on its own, you have nest egg.

Good for you for making this decision! You two deserve to be together. No more waiting for answers. October is a great timeline.
 
If you have the bandwidth, see if you can pick up some gigs or waitress and grind it out. Years ago I did waitressing for 3 months and it helped me get out of debt probably faster than I ever imagined. You can put all your cash tips in your WoM fund and just keep setting aside.

I visited my fiancé in the US last week and got through the border no problem. The customs agent asked me where I was going and who I was meeting. ('Florida and my fiancé). He asked me if we were applying for the K1. I said yes. He clarified if we were planning on getting married during this trip. ('Absolutely not"). He asked how long I planned on staying.
He then gave me a recommendation of a bar to visit at my destination,  which I later discovered was a bikini bar lol. Either way, he sent me through and we had a great vacation together!
 
I just wanted to share the positive outcome so others may also feel comfortable visiting while still in AP!

You are really strong. Seriously, I commend you because I think you have shown a lot of grace throughout this ordeal.

I see. Well let us know how the lawsuit goes. I hope you get positive results. Though we shouldn't have to take the government to court just to be reunited with our spouses. But unfortunately, this is what some of us will have to do. I have followed your advice and set a deadline for end of October, meanwhile I have started saving up a pot of money for this purpose, just in case. I hope I won't have to use it because it is going to cause me to go into debt a little even with trying to save up but I can't be without my husband, we have already waited 3 years and I am unwilling to wait anymore.
 
 

I did not contact the embassy. They are genuine updates. 

Thanks. It improved my mental health a lot just knowing we have a plan.
 
We decided on July because we are both becoming more and more upset. We just want this done with so that we can move on with our lives. We’ve been waiting almost 2 years.

God how crazy. I’m sorry this is happening to you.
 
I know you didn’t ask my opinion but out of concern for you and your family I’ll say this: I think WoM is the only answer to ending your nightmare. It’s the key to moving on with your life. You may get an answer in under 2 months.

Parting with the money and the principle of the matter… “why should I have to sue to get an answer?” is difficult to reconcile. In the end, the indignation we all feel in AP, and the sting of paying a large sum of money, will be a far distant memory when we are reunited with our loved ones.
 
Money comes and goes, time with our loved ones does not.
 

Hi, I see a lot of newbies here. If you want to be added to the spread sheet please reach out in a DM. I found it very helpful to know where I was compared to the backlog.
 
Honestly for the newbies, if it’s been over 4 months, file a WoM. The embassy has been slammed with lawsuits and they’re going to be prioritizing these cases (hopefully/finally).
 
If you’re not quite ready to cough up the money yet, set a date and start putting money aside a little at a time. It will do your mental health wonders.

You are really strong. Seriously, I commend you because I think you have shown a lot of grace throughout this ordeal.