AP_since_May2023

1 hour ago, brkendream said:

Tomorrow 5th April will be 2 months since my case is in AP(Ds-5535) , I don't have any last case update date yet on CEAC and I am getting panic about this no case status update . I am going to email Islamabad  embassy (Pakistan) and I will ask them politely what <DELETED> is going on . I have also not receive any conformation email from  them about my Ds-5535(If they received it  and was it up to the standards and correct) .

I waited 3 years for my interview (yes for interview) and my category is IR-1......In short this whole Ds-5535 thing is <DELETED> , especially when millions of people illegally cross into US every year.

I am seeing on other forums about spouses of USC filing for AOS even when they arrive on a tourist visa or ESTA, and get their I-130 and I-485 both approved within 3 months.

The legal immigration process is truly broken, and the ones who stick to the proper channels (like you) are the ones that end up paying the price.

5 hours ago, David San said:

I had an interview today and got APed. My 10-year-old son got APed too 😂.

The steps and process are pretty much like others mentioned before.

After security check and going to the 1st floor. The first officer asked for all original documents.

The second officer did the interview.

questions:

1. When did you move to Canada?

2. Are your children born in Canada?

3. Have you worked for the government?

4. What did you do in military service?

5. Had I lived in other countries?

6. Have I had any other spouse?

 

They asked me to sign a paper showing I needed to work for my sponsor when I moved to the US.

 

 

 

Are you and your son dual citizens? 

20 minutes ago, luoyegl said:

Thank you! That’s definitely longer than I thought! I have been reading posts from others of CR category and it normally took them 2-3 weeks to receive interview invites. Do you do if it is just because of the visa category that we are under?

Probably. but I also transferred from Montreal consulate to Singapore so that might also be a reason for delay. 

Just now, luoyegl said:

Hi I know it has been a while, wondering if you had a timeline to share now? I’m also under EB category and had received DQ about 3 weeks ago. Wonder what I shall expect here. Many thanks!

5 months to Interview (3-4 months to IL)

2 hours ago, dj222 said:

Anyone know if a Chinese background is the same as a middle eastern background when it comes to the algorithms for DS-5535. 

Dual citizen? 

11 hours ago, frhm said:

I’m an Electrical Engineer. I work in construction management. I’ve been living in Canada for less than a year only as a PR. Why do you think my chance is low to average? 

Because you're not a dual citizen, and it doesn't seem like you are working in the TAL list (see below).

PS. You barely arrived in Canada, and already leaving to the US so quickly. Seems like you saw the light 

Technology Alert List

i. Conventional Munitions;
ii. Nuclear Technology, Physics, and Engineering;
iii. Rocket Systems and Unmanned Air Vehicle;
iv. Navigation, Avionics and Flight Control;
v. Chemical, Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering;
vi. Remote Sensing, Imaging and Reconnaissance;
vii. Advanced Computer/Microelectronic Technology;
viii. Materials Technology;
ix. Information Security;

x. Laser and Directed Energy Systems Technology;
xi. Sensors and Sensor Technology;
xii. Marine Technology; and
xiii. Robotics Urban Planning 

1 hour ago, Phil_K_IR1 said:

My spouse was born in china but has been a Canadian citizen for over 20 years and has a science background.

 

We weren't given a 5535, only asked for CV/resume. This was a little over 4 months ago.. 

Dual citizen, so your spouse is in AP (even without DS-5535)

3 hours ago, Canucklehead said:

The absolute worst part of this right now is the fact that no one has even been asked for their passport back in months, let alone issued a visa.

 

We were moving along at a delayed, though consistent manner for a while and now nothing has happened for months.

 

Emails are also not being responded to. I honestly feel like I caught the absolute worst timing imaginable. The people who interviewed just a few weeks before me have had their visa for months now. Yet I'm still sitting in limbo with no updates in over 4 months.

 

Sorry for the rant but I'm just so ###### over waiting.

 

I agree this is so frustrating. I don't understand why Montreal is so backed up. 

57 minutes ago, frhm said:

I’m not a dual citizen. I’m a Lebanese citizen, living in Canada as PR. I’m an Engineer.

Depends on your field of engineering, but from what I'm seeing, your chance of receiving an AP is low to average. Please keep us updated after your interview in April 2024.

28 minutes ago, frhm said:

Hi everyone, my interview in Montreal is in April (CR1 category) and after reading here I got worried about being put into administrative processing because I’m from the Middle East. Do you guys know how high my chances are to be put in AP because I’m from the Middle East? 

Are you dual citizen or from a scientific background? If yes, your chance will be very high unfortunately.

3 hours ago, James33 said:

I got a request for the DS-5535 today after verbal approval from officer early last month February. The Montreal consulate kept my documents and passport too. Odd part is no information was provided in the email requesting documents but just completing the form. What has been your experience with this?

I also got verbal approval but was then placed in AP after. Unfortunately, it seems like you're part of this club now.

9 hours ago, CarmenD said:

May I know where is this from? When I spoke to the CO, it is my impression that her hands are tied, and it was outside of her decision to put our case in AP. She even gave us verbal approval, and collected passport after the interview.

11 hours ago, cpricerun said:

Man, I can't imagine how you and other folks who've been waiting since Feb/March 2023 are feeling. My fiancé and I have been waiting since May 2023, and it's been rough. Luckily he works remotely so he gets to visit me here in the U.S. often. Really hoping people like you and @Daft_Cat hear something soon. Hang in there. We are all pulling for you. 

Kepe me posted if you hear anything. I am also May 2023.

6 hours ago, Maussanais said:

After my interview, I followed the officer's instructions and sent my Canadian passport to the consulate. And after exchanging several emails, the consulate confirmed receipt of my passport by email. It has now been 4 months since the interview, and I need to travel for work and have an upcoming vacation.

 

I'm worried that requesting my passport might further delay the process.

 

Do you think I should apply for a temporary Canadian passport?

What are your thoughts?

sorry to say this but I think you may be part of this club. I wouldn’t try to apply for a new temporary passport as this might further delay the security clearance. 

16 minutes ago, LYV said:

I believe the spreadsheet may now be being used incorrectly. If you were only issued a 121g or resume only please do not enter your information on this spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is for the DS-5535 Form. 

 

Also, the request for the passport date was indicative in the past that they are about to process your visa. Now they are asking for it on the form at the interview. I am not sure how we can indicate this on the spreadsheet. 

 

Thank you

It's the same AP line up

8 hours ago, MTL-DS5535 said:

Hello!

 

I am a U.S citizen and I filed for my husband (I-130) in July 2022 (got married in Canada). He was an Indian citizen with Canadian PR when we got married. During this whole process, he got his Canadian citizenship as well (in 2023). His interview for the green card was just last week- in Montreal. 

He got the refusal form (which said additional information is needed and a link to another from- which was DS5535. I am so devastated right now. As everyone else here, I just want to be with my spouse. This whole process has taken so long and I was not expecting this roadblock. The CO obviously did not give any reason to why this happened and we are trying to make sense of it. 

He did travel back and forth quite a bit since we got married (he works from home). I guess I am just looking for a reason as to why this happened with him. Even our lawyer is confused. The CO did not ask him too many questions. He said he does not have any doubts regarding our realtionship but that they need addtional information. I do not even know how to process this or how to wait for yet another process to finish. I have been reading this thread and so far, it looks like it is taking a year or even more. I do not know if I am looking for support or answers or guidance. It is awful!!

Because he is a dual citizen, or works in TAL (if they ask for CV)

3 minutes ago, APRIL2023 said:

Thank you to the person who told us about the Case Tracker app! It’s life changing. No more entering the stupid code for verification!! Wish I knew about this ten months ago!

Just remember to hit the actual refresh button on the top right corner. Even if the top bar says refreshed, it's not actually accurate.

On 2/29/2024 at 6:44 PM, MTLaffectee said:

Do you all think we can engage multiple senators to get Montreal to answer for the high numbers of AP and 5535 (40% cases when the normal average is 17% in other consulates)? Like why are they issuing so many APs? Is it because of the movie "The Proposal"? 😔

 

Synopsis of the movie: Faced with deportation to her native Canada, high-powered book editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) says she's engaged to marry Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), her hapless assistant. Andrew agrees to the charade but imposes a few conditions of his own, including flying to Alaska to meet his eccentric family. With a suspicious immigration official always lurking nearby, Margaret and Andrew must stick to their wedding plan despite numerous mishaps.

Canada also historically has a significantly larger immigrant population, and we know that dual citizens are at increased risk of AP.

39 minutes ago, Leo The Great said:

Thanks - Mom and dad entered U.S via Niagara Falls this weekend. They were asked to go to secondary area for mom's green card activation.  CBP officer asked mom why your spouse is not  immigrating with you. She told the officer that his visa is still in processing. Whole process took 15 minutes

Is your dad a dual citizen, and your mom only has a single citizenship?

1 minute ago, Pending DS5535 said:

Not only spouses but they ask for resumes from parents for the IR5 Visa category as well, if the visa applicant is a professional as per their TAL list. I am asked my resume, and research publications for my chemical engineering.

For research publications, did they ask for the full paper, or just title and abstract?

I was asked for my CV but not research publications.

4 hours ago, ak47 said:

Not sure what you mean by 'too Quickly'....I have been in  AP for 11 months now.

If you contact them every week, they will begin to ignore you. Once a month seems to be the reasonable number of times to contact them.

5 minutes ago, JamesTan said:

State department DC means its sent to USA? If so there is no reason why DS5355 should be process slower for montreal cases compared to other countries.

Montreal is a bit delayed compared to other Consulates because they may be slower to process the case AFTER DS-5535 has been completed, but it should not be too different from others overall (± 1-2 months)

32 minutes ago, JamesTan said:

So I've been to about 50 different countries in the past 5-10 years. Will this raise some red flags? How likely will I be ds5355ed? I've also traveled to Turkey and UAE in the Middle East. I've had jobs where I was extremely successful and was able to negotiate more vacation time and travel on my dime. World travel is always an aspiration for me and don't regret it. I doubt anyone working for the government would be able to relate to my situation or else they will probably not be working there.

 

Just curious, why is Montreal more likely to receive ds5355? I mean there are embassies in parts of the world that I would assume are more likely to be vetted for security threats. If anything Canada is one of the US's closest allies and shares a lot of intelligence. I doubt the Iranian government would share information about their citizens trying to immigrate to USA.

 

Is there actual evidence rather than anecdotal that Montreal is special when it comes to ds5355?

 

Also once a ds5355 form is submitted, does anyone know where it is processed? Is it processed in Montreal? Or does it get sent to be processed in a central agency in the United States?

 

 

 

I suspect it is because Canada/Montreal processes more dual citizens, or have more highly educated workers.

3 minutes ago, ak47 said:

Its been 21 days and i have not heard back on the email enquiry. Earlier it used be around 2 weeks.

If you contact them too quickly, they start ignoring you. This was my experience.

8 hours ago, dmitrych said:

 

That document is from 24 years ago. While it provides some background, I doubt it's helpful for predictions, because things have changed a lot. Montreal requests DS-5535 much more often since 2021.

Why do you think Montreal issues more DS-5535 relative to other Western countries? A larger 1st-generation immigrant population or more dual citizens? Less stringent security vetting when immigrating to Canada? 

2 hours ago, LYV said:

There is a group on Facebook for worldwide DS-5535 and someone on there was a Feb 2023 Montreal interview. They were contacted in September to resubmit medical. Could mean they’ve taken some sort of 

break and the rest of the Feb interviews will get notice soon. 

Can you share the name of the FB group? Don't post link as that is against the rules of this forum.

8 minutes ago, Pending DS5535 said:

We also had our interview on Jan 24 in Montreal, and were handed over this form DS-5535 and resume and research publication docs as well, Visa Category IR5, although I hardly see any IR5 in the Excel sheet of ds-5535. But there was a lady ahead of us, she also got this form, and she told us outside the embassy that her daughter and son both also got this form, but they got their visa in 58 days. Hard to believe. 

I was asked for my CV only (without DS-5535) and I've been waiting for 9 months now. 

On 2/5/2024 at 4:03 PM, Daft_Cat said:

Another unsolicited case update today. My last one was Jan 31st. Sent an email a couple weeks ago, but no reply to that.

Can you update the spreadsheet? Thanks! 

34 minutes ago, tdot2nj said:

I am feeling so defeated I just saw multiple stories on a lawyers, Instagram page for green cards approved for IR1 category for individuals who filed their cases with USCIS months after me. I have no idea how they prioritize these cases but I definitely do not think it is first in first out. You would think if a US citizen is filing your case there would be some form of priority given, but I guess not.

If you are applying for AOS within the US, cases for IR1/CR1 cases are being processed very quickly. With DOS however, it is a wild game and will likely undergo AP.

USCIS officers are also being stretched thin with the number of asylum cases they have to process. Even though legal immigrants are funding USCIS with our application fees, USCIS officers are being pulled away to process EAD for asylum claimants (for free) who have the highest priority given their heavy reliance on public services.