Superluminal

We got the MTD in Oct 2023 and decided not to fight it. Felt like it was chasing good money after bad at that point

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G2Uy4IANSzFvQVRiywS4djPaujgHSRCfzE0qZK0eQCM/edit?pli=1#gid=0

WoMs seem to have been rendered almost completely ineffective. Mine (and many others) failed after 3 months, and most folks are now forced to fight have a motion to dismiss in order to keep the pressure on.

Hi All, Here is the updated tracker sheet. Since its read-only I spent some time trying to figure out how to make it so people can still review the spreadsheet in their own way. Please DM me with any changes or comments. I will post this on the current sheet so people know this is being phased out. I made a tough call on date without usernames (unknowns), people who don't have a DS-5535, and non-Montreal entries. I added a column called "Tracking Criteria Met" and put the people who don't meet the basic properties at the bottom. Nothing personal, just trying to make sure we are comparing apples and oranges. As far as the notes go, I think they were not sorted in the original tracker when people were making changes. My guess is the are almost all wrong. Let me know how you want me to fix each entry (via direct message). I'm also going to try and keep a changelog of major revisions to the tracker. We'll see how much time this takes make all the updates on my own. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G2Uy4IANSzFvQVRiywS4djPaujgHSRCfzE0qZK0eQCM/edit?usp=sharing

I've almost got the new version of the tracker ready to go. I'll share the link sometime today and will also put it into the current tracker

Hi All, I think we may want to consider moving our tracker to read-only. There have been several cells which have been deleted / modified / moved which is braking some logged data. There are 75 people on the tracker + others who monitor and don't participate. There are several of us who have made changes, added columns, calculations, etc. I suggest a few of us manage the logger in a similar way Hawk Riders does for the IR1/CR1 group tracker. I am happy to take this on (if others agree), and anyone else who wants to help manage can DM me and we can create a group to managing the tracker. If the overwhelming response is to keep this open to be modified by all, I'm okay with that too. Just trying to resolve the issues I keep seeing whenever I check the tracker. Let me know what people think.

I don't think its that bad. But who knows. There are 7 of us who are IR1/CR1 who interviewed April 2023. According to the resource below, in April 2023, Montreal issued 156 IR1/CR1 visas. Therefore at least 7 / 163 = 4.3% people got a DS-5535. The question is how many people got a DS-5535 and are not active on this forum or on the tracker? My guess is this forum has a relatively large group of people who are caught up in this are here, both active and inactive. So maybe 10% - 20% of folks get it? That's the raw DS-5535 rate. As many have discussed, your education, country of birth, name, travel history, etc. may also have an impact on that odds of getting it. I have also heard that some people can also be randomly selected. I think no one really knows though. https://visawhen.com/consulates/montreal

Looking at our tracker, after sending the passport in it takes 1 - 8 weeks.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Are we supposed to leave the DS-260 open or close it ourselves? Many of us are past the one year mark sadly

Congrats! Do you mind sharing some info for our tracker? - DQ Date - Interview Date - Date they sent you the DS-5535 - Date you returned the DS-5535 - Date they asked you for your documents. I am curious, did they not ask for another medical?

Super happy for you! Very helpful you did not have the DS-5535 it would seem. Regardless, it shows that there is still something going on at Montreal, albeit slowly.

@Daft_Cat Any updates on your end? Have you been able to send your passport in? @Canucklehead How about you? Any updates on CEAC?

Based on the fact the DS-5535 wasn't asked for (according to our tracking sheet), this could be a much faster processing then us DS-5535 folks are experiencing.

In the early days of our Marriage our accountant filed me as 'NRA' (Non-Resident Alien) in the SSN section of my wife's return to the IRS. Given my time in the US during AP I probably pass the substantial presence test, I am trying to determine if I should apply for an ITIN or just wait it out and amend the returns when I get a SSN.

This may only be a little off topic but I was wondering if anyone here has had to go through obtaining an ITIN for filing taxes with their US spouse. I imagine many of us have spent more time in the US than expected visiting, possibly triggering the need to file US taxes. I was given advice last year by my lawyer to not worry about that for now, but with how long the AP is taking, I am getting worried about being offside with the IRS. Any thoughts on this?

Rough luck. This is almost the exact same interaction I had with the CO. My interview was almost a year ago and I'm still waiting. I won't sugar coat it... my advice is to buckle up for an 8 - 16 month wait and hope it goes faster. Lots of folks here have been caught up in AP with a DS-5535 with little to no issues at the interview phase.

I'm not sure who keeps marking Daft_Cat as completed (highlighted green) in our tracker spreadsheet. Until they have their Visa in hand they are still working through the process. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jV7rzX2eCRVoEDRhOtN9a6hDoHRLNEf1P3ZGZbQ0_Dc/edit#gid=0

I just received a response from the consulate. It scared the hell out of me but after reading it again, it seems like it is in the standard response folks are getting when they have not completed the review. Did either @Daft_Cat or @WMBB get an email like this in the last few months? " Good afternoon, Thank you for contacting us. The consular officer, after carefully considering your application and reviewing all available information, determined you have not established that you are eligible for a visa and denied your visa application under INA 221(g). Additional security screening is being conducted. Depending on the screening results, a consular officer may reconsider your eligibility for the visa. Thank you for your patience and cooperation."

Congrats! I went back and read your previous messages and it looks like you've had a long and hard road (F2A, interview Nov 2022). Glad there is light at the end of the tunnel here for you. Between you and Daft_Cat, that's 2 people with passport requests inside a couple of weeks.

I'm not holding my breath. I did send an email 3 weeks ago. However, I have not received a follow up. I am keeping a close eye on CEAC to see if there are any more updates. @ak47 my interview was April 27th 2023 and I submitted my DS-5535 on May 1st 2023.

If I get anything positive from the consulate I will (1) Immediately call my wife, and (2) post here right after. Some of you will probably find out before her depending on how quick she sees the message haha

@Daft_Cat you inspired me to check my status and we got an update on CEAC. However, I sent them an email 17 days ago so I won't hold my breath. First update since October 6th

I believe what we are all interested in knowing is: - Are worldwide cases of AP, and those with a DS-5535 in particular, currently processing very slowly or at a standstill? - Is this just a Montreal phenomenon? - What is the reason for the standstill? - When will the standstill end? As many people have pointed out, the majority of folks who got into AP at the end of 2022 seem to all be through the gates. However, the last time a person in AP heard back from the consulate to provide medical / passport was in October, which means nothing has come out of the Montreal consulate in almost 6 months.

Nothing on our end

Did they contact you at some point recently to send your 2nd medical and passport back to them?