carcar

Good stuff. . .his is not the kind of AP we generally fear. . . they specifically noted "internal" processing. . .probably has something to do with the forms they gave him to fill out. . .

So, do you know how long approx would he have to wait?...

I don't like it.

221 (g) is supposed to have something checked off. Telling someone "Don't call us, we'll call you" is pretty low even for the consular system. It makes you think all you can do is what they say. What is the time period they give?

Does your brother have a good enough relationship with the company where he's been hired to get into contact with their immigration attorney? A lot of times they can handle some aspects of this. . .in a case like this.

His situation is more precarious than others because some employers will just give up and abandon the application. In a case that involves family sponsorship it's easy to just say contact a Senator or Congressman, or get an attorney and you have to just wait it out. . .this is more delicate than that because he doesn't really have the fallback of an elected rep. . .only the company who hired him.

AP can be anything from security checks to document verification to job verification, anything. . .this is why there is specifically a form and there is supposed to be information on that form regarding exactly what is going on. . . can you get him to give the exact wording of the 221 (g)? There is also no time limit to processing a 221 (g) they can take all they want. . .

Thanks again for your answer. My brother sent me an e-mail off the letter (He scanned it). I will translate it as accurate as I can (Including bold letters, indentation, etc):

_______________________________________________________________

Embassy of United States of America

Consular Section

Bogota, Colombia

Case number: XXXXX Date: 12/15/18

Dear Mr. My brother

The consular section informs you that your visa request is pending under the 221(G) Section of The Immigration and Naturalization Act of The United States of America. This act prohibits the issue of a Visa until an internal administrative process is done.

We cannot estimate accurately how long this process will take. As soon as this process is done we will contact you. Please, do not come to the embassy, neither schedule a new appointment through the Visa Information Center. The embassy will notify you the day of your next interview.

PD: Attached to this letter, there are Visa petition forms. You will have to fill them and take them with you for the next interview.

Regards,

Consul

_______________________________________________________________________

The attached forms were the basic forms to schedule an interview... DS-156 & DS-157.

Thanks again for you help.

Happens quite a bit. . .surprising if he has a currently active and valid visa. . . .

Why did he interview in Colombia?

Was he ever out of legal status while in the U.S.?

221(g) can just mean they have to research something or that they are finishing a background check or that they need more information. Get him to list off what is checked on the 221g. . . then we can tell you more.

Thanks for your answer. My brother was never out of status. He was an F1 student since 2001. Last year, a company hired and sponsored him. He got his H1-B approval here in the US, so he only had to go for an interview, and supposedly there wasn't going to be any problem. However, as you know, he got the 221(G) letter. The letter DOES NOT REQUEST ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. It only says not to contact them, call them, schedule another appointment or e-mail them. It says he just has to wait until they schedule another interview. Do you know why this happens and approximately how long it's going to take??? Thanks, and any additional info would be appreciated!

THANKS!

Hello, my brother had an interview on the Colombia embassy yesterday, He had been living in the US for 7 years as an F1 student, recently he found a company that sponsored him to get the H1-b Visa, so he got the approval here in the US. He decided to go to Colombia for Christmas, and so he apply for an appointment in the Colombia embassy to be done with his H1-B Visa. He went yesterday and the consul told him that he had to wait, so he gave him an 221(g) letter, saying that they had to do some things (No idea what kind of things) and that they would call him for a new interview. The letter says that please not to schedule another appointment, not to call USCIS, not too call the embassy... it says he just have to wait until they contact him... any idea what's going on behind this letter??? how long does it take??? an why, after he got the approval of his H1-B visa here into the US, and he was convinced there wasn't going to be any problem with the interview, he received this letter??? any other people with the same case??? I research and there are a lot of cases with "based-on-marriage" visas, but no so many with H1-B visas... please any help would be grateful, my brother is really sad because he is supposed to come back to work on January 5th, and probably this is going to take more than one month... Thanks, and please don't pay attention at my signature or timeline since that is my personal case based on marriage. THANKS!

Hello, my brother had an interview on the Colombia embassy yesterday, He had been living in the US for 7 years as an F1 student, recently he found a company that sponsored him to get the H1-b Visa, so he got the approval here in the US. He decided to go to Colombia for Christmas, and so he apply for an appointment in the Colombia embassy to be done with his H1-B Visa. He went yesterday and the consul told him that he had to wait, so he gave him an 221(g) letter, saying that they had to do some things (No idea what kind of things) and that they would call him for a new interview. The letter says that please not to schedule another appointment, not to call USCIS, not too call the embassy... it says he just have to wait until they contact him... any idea what's going on behind this letter??? how long does it take??? an why, after he got the approval of his H1-B visa here into the US, and he was convinced there wasn't going to be any problem with the interview, he received this letter??? any other people with the same case??? I research and there are a lot of cases with "based-on-marriage" visas, but no so many with H1-B visas... please any help would be grateful, my brother is really sad because he is supposed to come back to work on January 5th, and probably this is going to take more than one month... Thanks, and please don't pay attention at my signature or timeline since that is my personal case base on marriage. THANKS!

Hello, my brother had an interview on the Colombia embassy yesterday, He had been living in the US for 7 years as an F1 student, recently he found a company that sponsored him to get the H1-b Visa, so he got the approval here in the US. He decided to go to Colombia for Christmas, and so he apply for an appointment in the Colombia embassy to be done with his H1-B Visa. He went yesterday and the consul told him that he had to wait, so he gave him an 221(g) letter, saying that they had to do some things (No idea what kind of things) and that they would call him for a new interview. The letter says that please not to schedule another appointment, not to call USCIS, not too call the embassy... it says he just have to wait until they contact him... any idea what's going on behind this letter??? how long does it take??? an why, after he got the approval of his H1-B visa here into the US, and he was convinced there wasn't going to be any problem with the interview, he received this letter??? any other people with the same case??? I research and there are a lot of cases with "based-on-marriage" visas, but no so many with H1-B visas... please any help would be grateful, my brother is really sad because he is supposed to come back to work on January 5th, and probably this is going to take more than one month... Thanks, and please don't pay attention at my signature or timeline since that is my personal case base on marriage. THANKS!

Well, after receiving my EAD card last Friday, I received my interview letter yesterday! The appointment is on February 24!... and for the people who haven't received the appointment letter... be prepared! They ask for a lot of papers (Besides the ones you already sent)! I will post the list later... Thanks envy_me for your effort with that update line your update every day. By the way, my case is at NBC, so you can change my color to orange. B) .Thanks everybody!

nope..

not orange but purple!

i will update your timeline.. thanks..

good luck to your interview!

Well... my cases were at NBC, over there, my EAD and AP were approved, but of course the interview is on the closest place to my home, which is Newark... so I guess I'm between purple and orange (Brown?? ) hahaha... I will post the list as soon as my wife come home... she has the car and I forgot last night all my papers in the car...

Well, after receiving my EAD card last Friday, I received my interview letter yesterday! The appointment is on February 24!... and for the people who haven't received the appointment letter... be prepared! They ask for a lot of papers (Besides the ones you already sent)! I will post the list later... Thanks envy_me for your effort with that update line your update every day. By the way, my case is at NBC, so you can change my color to orange. B) .Thanks everybody!

Got my AP Today!, but my EAD hasn't arrived yet :-(... hopefully by Monday... I have a question for the people who already have a Social Security card... Does the SS Card say something like "Valid only with DHS authorization"... I'm asking this because in 2006 I came with a work visa for 3 months, and they gave me a SS card by that time. Then I came here as an F1 Student and of course I wasn't able to work. However, I kept my old SS card j (Which says "Valid only with DHS Authorization")just in case, and now that I'm going to have my EAD card in a couple of days, I don;t know if I have to apply for a new SS card....

They asked me about my sponson proof of citizenship... I sent it the first time with my I-865, but I received a RFE anyway (no idea why), so I sent my sponsor's-proof-of-citizenship back again...

I got my EAD approval today! (Day 77)!!! it say's "Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you"... Does somebody know how long does it take between approval and receiving it on the mail... I know it says 30 days, but I would bet is less than that...

I got my EAD approval today! (Day 77)!!! it say's "Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you"... Does somebody know how long does it take between approval and receiving it on the mail... I know it says 30 days, but I would bet is less than that...

WOW Congrats 'carcar". Thats nice to hear!

IF you dont mind me asking what was your RFE all about?

Thanks

I got my EAD approval today! (Day 77)!!! it say's "Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you"... Does somebody know how long does it take between approval and receiving it on the mail... I know it says 30 days, but I would bet is less than that...

I got my EAD approval today! (Day 77)!!! it say's "Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you"... Does somebody know how long does it take between approval and receiving it on the mail... I know it says 30 days, but I would bet is less than that...

I received a letter from USCIS telling me that I need to send proof of my joint sponsor citizenship!... I sent her original birth certificate!!!... I don't know why they are asking me for it if I sent it... My joint sponsor is my mother-in-law and of course she got married long time ago and she change her last name, and of course her birth certificate has her maiden name... do you know if I have to sent a proof of when she changed her last name, like the marriage certificate or something like that??? I understand that I don't have to send that information (I read it on another forum some time ago)... I also know that i can send a photocopy of her passport instead of the birth certificate, but she is afraid of airplanes and she has never been outside The US, so she doesn't have a passport....

Anyway, my question is... Did I do anything wrong??? or I just need to send again her birth certificate???

Thanks!

This thread might help people with the same question...

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2235630

Look at this thread, it might interest you:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2235630

I had an interview the same day (Oct 1) and I didn't want to miss it or change the day, the interview is in the morning and the Biometrics appointment was at 1 PM, but I didn't want to take the risk to miss the Biometrics appointment, so last night I started googling if there was any way to speed up the process, and I found out that some USCIS offices are able to take your Biometrics, as long as you have the appointment letter, even if you are going before... well, I went today Saturday to the USCIS office just to try and knowing they might have said no... guess what?... They were totally free and so nice! They took my Biometrics and now I don't have to wait until Oct 1!. They were so nice!, so If you are in a hurry you can try going to the Biometrics USCIS office before the appointment day! I read on other threads that the best days to go are Wednesdays and Saturday; they are less busy those days(That's what I read, I might be wrong). However, it depends of the office. I was lucky!, but they could've said I had to wait.... anyway, I'm so happy! You should try if you are in a hurry! It's is worth to try if you really need the papers fast.

I'm just telling you my case, I'm not a lawyer or an expert, so act accordingly.