Tiabeanie

Lost receipt worked for me this afternoon and didn't have to wait. 

On 3/31/2023 at 4:00 PM, Paparazi said:

I hope you got your approval? How long did it take?

Hi there,

I got approved as of February 28th and I got back my passport on March 2nd and crossed into the US the same day. So it took me 4 months.

3 hours ago, Mmk2112 said:

Great congrats. very happy for you. Why you were handed 221 g anyways?

do you mean feb 2022 and dec 2022 ?

Originally I was told no additional documents however I was told I need to resubmit my police record when I wrote the first email. Then nearly 3.5 months later I got an email from Montreal FPM saying that they need the faciltiy I'm working at to confirm my full time employment. Then 6 days after the facility wrote the email confirming my employment I got Issued.

All I can say is I'm very frustrated between the lack of communication between the departments of the consulate because had they told me they also needed the facility to confirm my employment along with my police record in the initial email, I could've been approved back in December. Anyways I'm happy I don't have to go through this hell again and I feel sorry for anyone who's still waiting to be approved despite waiting months.

13 minutes ago, dennisv said:

Congrats @Tiabeanie  ! Wish DS-5535 would go that quick,

I'm hoping that you (and well for everyone in DS5535) don't have to wait an eternity for their green card application to be approved. I don't wish this long wait on anyone.

57 minutes ago, Gha said:

Hi 

@Tiabeanie I am asking did you get your email response because I sent a mail to embassy more then a week but no response yet 

thank you 

Hi there,

The embassy responded today to the email that I've sent them 14 days ago. The last time I emailed them it took them 12 days to email me back. I'm not sure what's the reason for them taking long to respond to emails it gives me a bad feeling that they're taking even longer to process cases. Give them up to 2 weeks to respond back. I got the same generic reply unfortunately:

"Good Afternoon,

Thank you for contacting us.

We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and the additional documents you have provided.

This case is currently pending to be reviewed by the Visa Unit. As soon as this review is complete, the Visa Unit will advise of the next steps if anything else is needed to complete processing the case"

Again waiting over 2 months for them to look over 1 document. This is ridiculous.

1 hour ago, WMBB said:

Hello All.  I have been in AP since my interview in late November 2022.  I was issued the DS5355, since completed and immediately returned to the consulate.  I continue to wait like all of you, and so frustrating.  My case was updated a few times after the interview, followed by dry spell, and then finally another update in late January.  Nothing since...  My lawyer (assisted with my application way back) has sent email requests in, and no response.  I have asked my congressman to do the same (knowing that will likely do nothing), and he has not received a response.  I myself as the applicant sent an email early last week for the first time for an update, and requesting passport back, and no response.  We all received the automated email response confirming emails were received.  I find it a little bizarre that none of us have received a response - not even the typical generic response.  Is this unusual?  Thanks   

I've emailed the embassy nearly 2 weeks ago and I'm still waiting for them to reply back to my previous email. Usually they respond to emails in a week but they've been terrible lately. I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one noticing/experiencing this. It's ridiculous that email is the only method of communication with them. 

17 minutes ago, Siarg said:

No need to apologize, almost everyone  here has had the same or very similar situation happen to them. 
 

When you’re placed in AP, it very much appears that Montreal does a SAO (Security Advisory Opinion) which is essentially what 5535 is. 
 

Montreal has a reputation for doing this more than almost any other consulate in the world, and nobody knows exactly why. There have been theories, but honestly the thing that makes the most sense to me is that Canada is very easy to immigrate to. There are people that move to Canada just to be closer to America. 
 

Basically whenever you’re placed in AP at Montreal, there are two “pathways” your AP goes. One is with your consular officer, keeping note of your case and what they need to follow up on. The other is DOS background check. 
 

This seems to have been the cause of everyone’s issues, and became very obvious when the Afghanistan withdrawal took over as priority #1 over any other background check. Thousands of visas put into a pile that wasn’t moving, and then 1-2 years of cases backed up by putting them all into the “we’ll do this after the background check” pile. 
 

In this group the wait time varies from 4 months to over a year. Most of the movement has been due to lawsuits, with the occasional organic case movement. 
Obviously it’s up to you, but if you want to have this resolved in the next few months, I would recommend filing a lawsuit if you can. 
 

A lawsuit guarantees something will happen, waiting could be another year. 
 

I’m very pro-lawsuit after experiencing it here, in DV, and in multiple visa categories. The most happy people are the ones that file a lawsuit and almost everyone wishes they did it earlier. 

I really appreciate reading your posts and how detailed oriented and thorough you are with explaining your experiences filing a lawsuit with PIC Law. Your experiences has influenced me in sending an inquiry to PIC law firm with regards to my case. Hopefully I hear back from them soon and if I go through with hopefully I get positive results. It might be costly but it beats being left in the dark for God knows how long.

20 minutes ago, Siarg said:

Usually non-5535 is because of a missing document or questions about validity of documents. 
 

if everything was all good and nothing seemed weird, it is probably the same background check as 5535 anyway. The questionnaire usually doesn’t give them much new information 

Initially I was only given a 221g form and they checked off additional processing is required. I emailed them 2 weeks after my interview and they said I needed to resend my police certificate. I sent it back in early December.

Whenever I email them I get this generic message: "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"

I'm stumped because I wasn't given DS-5535 and I thought with them needing my police certificate I'd be approved right away but at the same time I've been in administrative processing for over 90 days and I don't like the lack of transparency and feeling in the dark. I'd hate to file a lawsuit and spend 6k when I would've been approved 2 weeks later if I just waited a little longer. This waiting game has been difficult and I hate the fact I may have to pay thousands of dollars to get my case moving. Sorry for the rant I'm just irritated with the bureaucracy.

Has anyone filed a WoM for being in AP without receiving a questionnaire/DS-5535? I'm deciding to weigh my options if I should continue to wait or consider filing WoM. I've been in AP for 100 days with no questionnaire/DS-5535 given. My category is EB3.

3 hours ago, Canucklehead said:

This just seems so incredibly inept on all fronts. It's as if they don't even give a rats A$$ that we are humans who are separated from loved ones. Trying to plan our whole life around this with no idea when it's going to happen!

Sorry to hear that they placed you in administrative processing. It's like a kick in the gut. It's cruel to leave people in the dark. I've been stuck since October and I feel like my life has been on hold since. I hope that you don't have to wait long and you're able to be reunited with your family.

1 hour ago, ice-qube said:

It’s very painful. The consulate now has all my stuff, including passport and updated medical and RCMP certificate since last week and I still don’t see any updates. I am getting antsy!

I really shouldn't complain compared to your ordeal but this whole process has been emotionally and financially draining. I haven't been able to work for months and whenever I email the consulate I get the generic "This case is currently pending to be reviewed by a consular officer". Like how long does it take to review one document? Yes I'm fortunate I didn't get DS-5535 but I wasn't expecting to waiting 3+ months. I'm frustrated and broken. I just want to get my green card go home and work.

7 hours ago, Mmk2112 said:

Good morning, no updates anyone ?

Nope. Last CEAC update for me was December 15th. Sent my police certificate as I was told via email and my certificate has been in the consulate's hands for 8 weeks today. Starting to feel pessimistic. This waiting is painful.

If I were in your shoes I'd email the embassy to see what is going on: montreal-iv-dv@state.gov. It can take 4-6 business days for them to respond. Someone else mentioned they were approved on the spot and when they emailed the embassy they were placed in administrative processing.

I had my interview on October 31st got 221g. I emailed the embassy 2 weeks later and was told to submit my police certificate. Still not approved despite submitting my missing document. Slow is an understatement dealing with Montreal consulate. More like incompetent and inefficient.

4 hours ago, addpeace said:

Hi everyone-

 

I have mostly been a lurker in this thread since my husband and I got put into AP and given the DS5535 on August 1st 2022. We are officially signing with Hacking Law firm tomorrow, but I just wanted to let everyone know all the steps we have taken and our timeline so far.

Steps:

Emailed Montreal consulate every week since interview on Aug 1st.

• Same copy paste emails
• Only email that actually was different was when I requested for our case to be reviewed by a manger or higher official.
  • This email stated that asking for our passport back does not stop our case from processing. (We have never requested it back though)
• Let them know 2 weeks ago that we were contemplating filing a Writ of Mandamus. (no response so far)

Contacted our MN senator and local congresswoman:

• Senator (never responded)
• Congresswoman
  • They sent 2 inquires to Montreal
    • 1 was the same copy paste response
    • 1 they never got back to them
  • Gave me a list of immigration lawyers I could reach out to.

Mailed hand letters to:

• POTUS* (3 weeks to respond)
• VPOTUS* (1 month to respond)
• Sec. of State* (3 months to respond)
• US Consulate General of Montreal (No response)
• Homeland security* (2 weeks to respond)

All the * letters were forwarded to USCIS who contacted us saying they would look into our case and we would receive a response in 14 days. The response came 5 days later saying they could not help us since this was a state department issue. They gave us a link to put in a email inquiry to the State department, which we did. 10 days later we got a response from the state department saying this is a consulate issue and to try contacting them. (These are all sent from No reply emails as well, so you can never talk to the same person or respond to them)

 

We have spoken to 3 local immigration attorneys who have basically all said the same thing. "Trinidad, Islamabad, and Montreal are the worst consulates to immigrate through right now." they also said "AP is getting out of hand, and with so many illegal immigrates coming in the families in DS5535 are pushed back because the illegal immigrate checks use the same system for background checks. (since they are in the country already I guess theirs take priority)"  They have all reviewed our case and found no red flags or any reason that we should have triggered AP let alone DS5535.

 

Thus with our 6th month mark coming up on Feb 1st Lex and I have decided to go the WOM route. Hacking Immigration has quoted us $5000 for the process. With 2 different payment options. $3000 down payment and the final 2000 paid over 4 months ($500 a month), or Pay full upfront and get $500 off, so $4500. Hopefully we are able to get out of this before the end of summer as my husband is in school and transitioning in the middle of a semester will be rough.

 

I wish everyone luck with their cases and their status updates.

 

Hi there thanks for an update on your case. I have been under AP since October 31 and submitted a missing document since December 5th(when I emailed them initially they told me they're waiting to receive my police record) and last update to my case has been December 15th. 

It's been about 6 weeks since submitting my document I haven't heard back from the embassy and this whole process has been emotionally and financially exhausting. Quite frankly I've ran out of patience. I've been reading on this thread that the embassy takes 4-8 weeks to issue over a missing document and that shouldn't be acceptable to wait this long. When I do email the embassy I get a generic "We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and the additional documents the applicant has provided. This case is currently pending to be reviewed by a consular officer" message. 

Obviously my wait is nothing compared to yours (and others on this thread) and I cannot imagine the frustration and anguish that your spouse and yourself have been going through the past 6 months to now go through proceeding with a WoM. Sorry for the rant but I'm pissed off people are being put into AP/DS-5535 for no damn reason and having to wait an unnecessary long time and to have their finances drained in the process and be split from their families. Please keep us updated and I pray that this AP ends soon for you.

2 hours ago, EB2-NIW said:

All,

Late December Consulate requested us to redo our medicals, update our DS-260, mail our passports and new photos which we did immediately. Using their courier service (Canada post express) we mailed our passport, it was suppose to be delivered on Jan. 3rd and Canada post tacker last update shows package arrived at Montreal on Dec 30th but does not show it was delivered. As of last week, we have been following up with Canada post to see what is the actual status is, first they said they'll look into it and opened a ticket for us, when, we called back the next day to follow-up, we were told since we are not the Sender and this is actually a return label, they are not providing information to us and they closed the ticket . Although these are our passports, we have the receipt of online payment and sender address is our home address, they still consider consulate as the Sender. They said to ask Consulate to follow up with them!!!! Just wondering if anyone heard of a situation like this. One nightmare after the other.

Clipper Ship Supply Inc is the third party sorting facility that receives our additional documents. (514) 937-9561 is their number. It can't hurt to call them if that doesn't work then I would email the consulate (montreal-iv-dv@state.gov). I'm sorry that you're going through this. I can't imagine the frustration you're experiencing.

1 hour ago, bobobobobo said:

Thank you!! and that's good to know, i'm really glad.

I'm sure you'll get approved anytime soon now  Think I sent my police record a week or two after my interview (Nov 08 interview) and got it approved just yesterday, so I think our timeline may be similar in that sense

I had my interview on October 31st but I found out 3 weeks after my interview (via emailing the embassy) that I needed to submit a new police record to the embassy (which it was delivered in the first week of December). If my timeline follows yours in terms of submitting a missing document (since it sounds like you got approved 6-7 weeks after submitting a missing document) I'm hoping to be approved no later than the end of January. Again congratulations!!

14 hours ago, bobobobobo said:

Hey guys, good news, today the status changed from "application received" to "Approved"-- i'm just a little bit  nervous about it since I've seen the others said theirs said "Issued" instead? Should I be waiting for that instead?

 

also, @kryptonite, where did you get your tracking info? do they just email it to you? 

 

16th dec (refused) -> 28th dec -> 03 jan -> 04 jan (application received) --> 06 jan (approved)

Congratulations I'm happy for you 🎊🎊. From what I read I think once they sent back your passport that's when they change the status to Issued.

I'm hoping to get approved soon. Monday would make it 5 weeks since I've submitted a missing document to the embassy.

Happy New Years in advance everyone. I've decided to email the consulate and this is a response I've received when following up on my case file and wanted to know if anyone received an email similar to mine:

Hello, 

Thank you for your inquiry.  

We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and the additional documents you have provided. 

This case is currently pending to be reviewed by the Visa Unit. 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. 

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. 

14 hours ago, Arxh said:

Hi

 

Did the embassy keep your passports after the interview or returned them to you?

Keep us updated as to how long they took to process your documents or you still haven’t heard back from them. 
 

Thank you

 

arxh

I had my interview on October 31 and the embassy kept my passport the day of my interview. Initially I was issued a 221g and told no additional documents needed.

I emailed the embassy 2 weeks of my interview and inquired about my status(montreal-iv-dv@state.gov is their email btw). They responded to me 6 days later and informed me I had to submit a new police record. So I submitted my police record and it arrived to the embassy on Dec 5. My profile still shows as refused on CEAC but the last update to my case was on Dec 9th. 

20 hours ago, bobobobobo said:

Hi all,

I sent follow-up documents around two weeks ago to the consulate section, using the mail carrier that was approved by the US consulate (Canada post). Today I found out you can send it via the courier service that they provided, and I've only updated my status in the ais.usvisainfo site today to "Consulate section has requested more documents.", and now my current status is "Send Documents", something I've already done.

 

Will this incur a delay and will they even accept it if I don't send it via the courier service? 

 

Thank you in advance

You can send your documents with any courier however it would be at your own expense. 

If you want to confirm that your documents have been received you can call Clipper Ship Supply Inc (514) 937-9561. They're the 3rd party sorting facility where the documents are sent to. Just give them your tracking number to confirm over the phone that it's been sent to the embassy. 

1 hour ago, samq26 said:

Which Commissionaires did you use ?

Commissionaires - London

1112 Dearness Dr unit 14, London, ON N6E 1N9

27 minutes ago, AnimeLover89 said:

I see. Which email can we use? Is it this one?

 canada_contactus+ca+info+en@visaops.net

montreal-iv-dv@state.gov. It took them 4-5 business days to respond back to my inquiries.

54 minutes ago, BatmanFlow said:

so i called the third party drop site where our documents first go. they confirmed that embassy picked up the documents but cant tell which date.

so embassy does have my moms documents, its like as @throwitaway mentioned, no one has actively touched the documents, hence the embassy response is that they dont have the documents, which is ridiculous. they cause so much stress!

 

Do you mind sharing the number of the 3rd party drop site please?