Bocajr27

can AP really take 7 months or more??? I am about to cry now

what? are you crying for your friend?

She's asking a question. If you have nothing to contribute, keep your comments to yourself. Who cares if she's asking for herself or if she's asking for a friend. Really......some people on this site have too much time on their hands.

can AP really take 7 months or more??? I am about to cry now

I'm sorry to say that Yes, it can take that long and sometimes even longer. I've read of people who have been on AP for 2 years. I don't want to discourage you, but you're better off hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Good Luck and Hang In There

My husband came from the DR - took 21 months to get an interview (the previous hellish wait days) and then we had 11 months of AP - name hit. Sometimes they clear quickly and sometimes not....

At least you know they believe your relationship.

It isn't really useful to bug the consulate -- they need approval (name clearance) from DOS before a visa can be issued.

Call DOS info line every week. One day they will tell you the name clearance is done and then you can bug the consulate for the visa.

Keep busy - clean, exercise, volunteer, hang with VJ waiters.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with this last post (from our own personal experience). We were told the same thing by someone else (to contact DOS) but unfortunately, DOS does not always have the updated information. When we received the e-mail from the Emabssy stating that my wife was eligable for the visa but that we had to file an I-212 with our local USCIS office, I contacted DOS to ask them a few questions.

When I asked what their system showed about our case, they immediately responded that we were still on AP and should just wait. The reality was that we were already out of AP (a week before I called) and their system was not up to date. Even USCIS did not have the correct information up to date when I walked into the local office.

My advise (again) is to try to contact the Embassy in DOMREP via e-mail. If you can not find their e-mail, buy the pin and contact them via phone on a weekday. Request they give you the e-mail address to the IV Center. You're not bugging them. You're doing what you need to do to make sure your family is together. Persistance pays off. Just make sure that you're always polite with them. After all, they are the gate keepers.

Good Luck

Thanks Boca for the advice. In the Dominican Embassy they offer absolutely NO emails for anyone. I have tried searching and can't find anything. I just have a general email asktheconsul@usemb.gov.do. Then I have emails for the consulate for the DR in Washington DC that look like this consular@us.serex.gov.do. If I knew the name of any one consular officer, I would play with the first and last name to try and send emails there, but I don't have anything. But I will continue to fax the embassy at least and send emails. Thanks.

By any chance are you planning a trip any time soon to see your husband? If so, you may want to go on a day that the Embassy is open and ask to speak to a Consul. They HAVE TO TEND TO YOU!! I say this with caps because some people turn away at the first encounter with a security guard that may try to turn you away.

That was what happened to me, and I insisted that I'm an American Citizen and it is my right to speak to a consul in MY EMBASSY! They reluctanly let me in and I received great advise from the Consul. If you have the time to do this, I suggest you do. It can go a long way. That way, you'll have the name and e-mail address of someone in the embassy and the e-mail address of the IV unit.

Good Luck

Just read your timeline Boca. Your experience might have been easier because they were constantly emailing you updates on your case. I have never heard of the Dominican embassy doing that. That is what makes it harder.

It was in no way easier for us. The only reason they e-mailed me so much is because I took a proactive aproach to my case and was relentlessly e-mailing them on a weekly basis. Now while I agree that every Embassy is different in their own ways, the rules are generally the same. Contact them weekly. Also...It wouldn't hurt if you had the e-mail address of a specific consul in that Embassy. The reason I say this is because in every e-mail that I sent, I made sure to cc a specific consul (who's card I got when I visited the Embassy on a previous trip). Why did I do this? In my opinion, the IV Center in that embassy paid a little bit more attention whenever they saw that this specific Consul was CC'd. Kind of like when you send a coworker an e-mail about a project and you made sure to cc your boss on it. Your coworker will tend to pay a little more attention and answer you quickly. Same principle applied here.

You still need to be patient, but remember that you are totaly within your rights to inquire at least once on a weekly basis.

Good Luck

They say timing in life is everything and you're living proof of that. Congrats my friend.

Boca-Thanks for your insight and advice. I am hoping that this isn't the end of the world like you say. It's just so hard to wait with out knowing why, or for how long......I am PRAYING this has a happy ending soon. I know the good news is that we were approved. We just have to wait for Domex to show up at his front door! It's just so hard to wait forever for your NOA2, then interview....you think in your heart the waiting is almost done, only to have to wait MORE.

This is by far the least stressfull moment. The most stressfull moment for me was when we arrived in MIA and going through Customs. You don't know what will happen and (personally) I was on pins and needles up to the moment they let us go. It really wasn't that bad (only an hour wait). But I was going nuts until it was over and done with.

Anyhow, I'm sure you'll have it soon. Take care

First. Stop the crying, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Trust me when I tell you that it's not the end of the world.

Second. He took the passport and told you that it was approved and to pay Domex, That's not exactly a bad thing. We were put on AP and our Passport was given back until it was over (which lasted 30 days). When the AP was over we were told to bring an approved I-212 and that my wifes visa would be issued. When she brought it in, she was told that the visa was approved but that it would take a little longer than usual to get it to her because they needed to process a little more information in the system so that when she came to the US she would not have a problem with customs.

So. Cheer up. Cahnces are, in a few weeks you'll get the visa. We were approved on September 22 and got her visa on October 3rd. It may work the same way for you. Don't get pissy with the CO. They are the gate keepers and you have to play their game. Remember, you get more flies with hone than you do with poop.

Good luck

So many of us are so quick to bad mouth the Consulate when things don't the way we want them to. I was wondering how many of us actually take the time to thank the cosnsulate (in writing) when they expedite or move the case along due to an emergency or extenuating circumstances.

Last Friday (October 9th) I decided to do just that and was pleasently surprised to recieve a responce from them today. Here's what my e-mail to them stated and they replied back to me.

Hello;

I just wanted to take a moment to thank your office for taking into consideration my emergency and in turn processing my wife's visa in such a timely manner. My wife and our son are now back home (in Miami) in a more climate controlled environment were he can receive the proper medical attention needed to control his medical condition. You may not be told this often enough but we really appreciate the diligence your offices took in processing our case for the sake of the health of a US Citizen (our son Nicolas).

If your office should ever need a letter of recommendation from our family, please do not hesitate to contact me immediately via e-mail.

Best Regards

Their Responce

Dear Mr. ******:

Thank you very much for your kind words. We are always very glad when we can do our job – which is to reunite families.

Best regards and best wishes for the future to you and your family.

Sincerely,

IV Unit

Remember that a Thank You goes a long way, and they might take that note into consideration the next time a case like yours comes across their desk.

Hi Guys

I am in the process of booking my flight to the USA as approved visa has come through (k1)

now my question is.....will it be a hassle if i book a RETURN flight to head over? will i get hassle at Poe?

Or am i just as well to pay the extra for the ONE WAY ticket and save any hassle?

I have spoken to a few people who say return will be fine and one way is the only way

as a return flight will red flag for whatever reason....

What do you guys suggest?

Anyone been through the POE on a return flight or was it one way?

Many thanks

If a round trip is cheaper then book that BUT you MUSt book it from your country. You cannot take "return" filght without being on the outboaund flight, they will CANCEL the ticket. Book it FROM your contry TO the USA with a return flight TO your country. Te not take the RETURN flight back and you will have no problems. If you have troube bookinga flight from your country on a US based website (like Orbitz or Travelocity) then go direct to the airline website and buy it there, it will probably save a few extra bucks also.

This is 100% accurate. You will not have any problems at POE if you book a round trip vs a one way (which is usually more expensive).

Good Luck

Hey VJs! The CO told me to file I-601, cos i lived there illegaly for 6 months after i reached the age of 18 and now i am banned for 10 years. There was an order of removal on me an my mother while i was a minor but i dont really know when and how. So since i had deportation papers on me, do i file I-212? I really dont want to lose time on this.

Hello there;

Yes you need to file both and it has to be with the consulate. Now, make sure you prepare yourself for both forms. Each form will run you approximately $545.00 (each). The I-601 requires that you show that you and your family would face "Extreme Hardship" if you were not allowed to come back to the US. The I-212 (which I had to file) requires that you show all documentation pertaining to your deportation preceedings.

I'm going to warn you to be patient. The letter I received from USCIS once they received my I-212 stated that it took a year to process. Now, because of strinuating circumstances, mine took less than a month to get approved, but then again we had to file it at USCIS and not at the Consulate like you.

I wish you the best of luck. This process is not easy, but if you prepare yourself accordingly, it's also not impossible. Be as upfront and honest as possible. Best of luck to you.

Yes, a little nerve wrecking to know we have a second interview. Our first one went great then we were placed in Ap process. The embassy knows my wife is pregnant so they rushed the Ap process.

Shane;

You may NOT have a second interview! We didn't! We were put on AP. After we came out of AP, we needed to file an I-212 with our local USCIS office in Miami. We were told by the consulate that once we had the approval letter in hand, we should schedule an appointment to bring that letter in with a my wifes passport so that they can issue her visa.

What I'm getting at is that if the Consul kept your wife's passport from the first interview and did not return it to her, chances are that there may not be a second interview. When she left, did she pay for DOMESA (the courrier service that delivers the visa)?

I would contact the Consulate via e-mail immediately (if you haven't already done so) to clarify this issue. Who knows, if your wife gets her visa soon, we might meet you guys on the plane back to the states (LOL). I'm flying down to Bogota as soon as my wife calls me to inform me the visa has arrived (which should be early next week).

Anyhow, congrats.

Ecellent feedback. You were right, I emailed the embassy and reminded them of my wife having her passport there. they emailed me back to say never mind on the interview My wife was approved. they said they would send her passport within 5 business days.

Hey that's great!! We're already home. Got here Wednesday the 7th. Immigration lasted about an hour. Well my friend, congratulations on getting your wife back home. Take care of your self, your wife and your new baby.

We're Home!!! We got into MIA yesterday evening at 6:30pm. Immigration took about an hour or so. Everything went well overall. The best thing in the world was watching my 18 month old son running to his grandma and watching my wife and mom crying for joy as they huged each other.

Our process lasted 8 month which can be considered relatively quick, but it was the longest 8 months of my life. Thanks to those of you who from time to time contributed with helpfull advise. Good luck to those of you who are still waiting.

Yes, a little nerve wrecking to know we have a second interview. Our first one went great then we were placed in Ap process. The embassy knows my wife is pregnant so they rushed the Ap process.

Shane;

You may NOT have a second interview! We didn't! We were put on AP. After we came out of AP, we needed to file an I-212 with our local USCIS office in Miami. We were told by the consulate that once we had the approval letter in hand, we should schedule an appointment to bring that letter in with a my wifes passport so that they can issue her visa.

What I'm getting at is that if the Consul kept your wife's passport from the first interview and did not return it to her, chances are that there may not be a second interview. When she left, did she pay for DOMESA (the courrier service that delivers the visa)?

I would contact the Consulate via e-mail immediately (if you haven't already done so) to clarify this issue. Who knows, if your wife gets her visa soon, we might meet you guys on the plane back to the states (LOL). I'm flying down to Bogota as soon as my wife calls me to inform me the visa has arrived (which should be early next week).

Anyhow, congrats.

My Fiancée was just placed on AP, except for the Embassy website where else can you check the Status of the File?

Hi;

We were also placed on AP the day of our interview (July 9th). Our AP lasted exactly 30 days. We then had to place a new form with USCIS here in the States which was recently approved. From what I've read, it can take anywhere from 30 days up to 90 days and in unfortunate cases longer.

My advise to you is to contact the US Embassy via e-mail once a week to get a status on your AP.

Hi;

I was reading all the posts and had one question come to mind. Why not make an Infopass through the local USCIS Office that is handling your case? I'm assuming that the Tampa Branch is handling it correct? If so, make an appointment with them, ask to speak to a supervisor, explain the situation and with any luck you may actually get the answer you need.

Now before anyone starts having diareah of the mouth (LOL) let me warn you that I did this last week when I received a negative letter from the local office where i filed the I-212 for my wife. I spoke with 3 different supervisors and 2 officers. Three hours later, I was told that I was correct and that i can pick up the approved I-212 at 1:00pm that day. The supervisors and officers were extremely helpfull and very respectful. Give it a try (if you're filing with your local office). You've nothing to loose but a few hours of your day.

Good luck

Great news today. the embassy emailed me and asked a strange question about my wife. they asked me if my wife was married before? I said yes she filed divorce prior to our marriage and it was complete.

I wonder why they asked this question, this information is in the original I-130 packet. So now I know this AP process has to do with my wife's prior marriage. the email said this.

Dear Mr. Whitted:

Thank you for your message.

Please inform us ASAP: was your wife ever married prior to marrying you?

Thank you,

IV Unit

Shane;

You obviously included a copy of the Divorce Decree so I don't think you should have anything to worry about.

Thanks to everyone. Sorry I can't update the time line as I'd like to but since we were expedited at NVC and at the Embassy, I really can't properly fill out the time frame. But again, thanks for all of your support.

Well, I can finally breath a little easier now. My wife's visa has been approved!! For those of you interested, here's our story;

Filed I-130 on 02/03/09

_______________________________________

Received RFE on 04/09/09.

_______________________________________

Sent Evidence Requested on 4/15/09.

_______________________________________

Evidence Received by VCS on 4/16/09.

_______________________________________

Case Touched & updated by USICS 4/17/09

_______________________________________

No news for 60 Days

_______________________________________

NOA2 Received on 6/16/09 exctly 60 days

_______________________________________

NVC immediately sent file to Embassy after Expedite Request on 06/30/09.

_______________________________________

Embassy called on July 2nd to confirm appointment on July 9th. No letter needed just come on in.

_______________________________________

July 9th, Interview day. Put on AP.

_______________________________________

August 6th, AP Over, but must file form I-212 with local USCIS office in Miami.

_______________________________________

August 20th, filed I-212 with all supporting documentation.

_______________________________________

September 9th, Did info pass and requested expedite of I-212 due to medical emergency.

_______________________________________

September 14th, I-212 returned with notice to file in Embassy in Bogota.

_______________________________________

September 17th, Went to Local USCIS office to dispute the letter received on the 14th. USCIS officers were very kind and extremely respectful. Meeting lasted 3 hours with several supervisors and 2 officers. I-212 will be processed in 10 days.

_______________________________________

September 17th, Received call from USCIS Officer processing I-212 and was told to come in at 1:00pm to pick up approval notice. (I cried like a baby)

_______________________________________

September 17th, recieved I-212 Approval notice. Contacted US Embassy in Bogota to advise them that we had the approval in hand.

_______________________________________

September 17th, 2-Hours later I recieve an e-mail reply from embassy. "Please make an appointment for your wife to come in. Please bring passport and approval notice."

_______________________________________

September 17th, Appointment made with US Embassy in Bogota for Tuesday September 29th at 7:30 am.

_______________________________________

September 18th, Sent original approval letter to my wife via Avianca overnight.

_______________________________________

September 22nd, My wife takes Original Approval Letter and passport to Embassy. Gets there at 7:00 AM and leaves at 11:30 AM. VISA APPROVED.

As soon as the visa is delivered I'll make the travel arrangements to go pick up my wife and son. Thanks to everyone who gave us helpfull advise along the way.

Good luck to everyone out there!

I'd focus on primary evidence and what the CO asked for. Although sweet, I am not sure this is what they are looking for

good luck.

hey, what he asked for is "photographs and other documents showing the strength of the relationship"

....? i thought that would be something good.

Is this a serious question? OK, assuming it is. What proof do you have that your husband bought you that perfume? Are there any pictures of you opening it in front of him? Is there a receipt which shows he paid for it days prior to your birthday? Does the receipt have his name on it? Those would be questions that I would be raising if I was looking at this evidence.

Not intended to scare the petitioner......

My now husband, then fiance, is from Iran, he has a very common name. He had his interview in Ankara Turkey April 2007 and placed in AP. October his name came up on the list he went back to Ankara and gave them his passport. A week later he had it returned because he was in AP again. I finally involved my congressman after it had been one year. I felt this had been a reasonable time and would not be just I'm in a hurry, or I'm trying to get pushed to the head of the line. He finally got his Visa July 2008 and we have been married almost one year now.

The AP process is different for every person and every country. Being from Iran it will naturally be expected to take longer, but not always. A lot depends on how many hits he gets on his name, where the files are to verify it is not him, whether he has ever traveled outside the country, and a multitude of other factors.

No one can speed up AP, not your senator, not the congressman, not the President, not the Head of homeland security, no one.

What you can do is make your congressman aware of your situation and if it takes a long time, say more than 6 months of AP then have them send an inquiry.

Please everyone remember when an inquiry is received from a congressman the Embassy must respond within a certain time frame. This means they stop working on the cases to deal with the inquiry. Might not sound like much but imagine them getting 50 or 100 inquiries a week, that's a lot of time.

I wish you a speedy AP, it is normal, don't get nervous unless it has been been longer than 6 months and good luck

Well written and very coherent statement. I concur 100%

My Financee is placed on AP by the US Embassy, any recommendation on how to follow up on the case in the US and with the embassy?

Does any one knows how long it may take.

Were 10 people from iran on that day, all were placed on AP, except One.......

Call your senator ASAP and get his staff involved. Try to keep the petition at the embassy.

Have u ever had any luck with your Senator? because last time I had immigration problem with USCIS about my mom's citizenships which was placed on Name Check, Senator and Congressman they were both useless and couldn't do any thing.

May depend on what state and who your senator is.

Our senators immigration specialist helped us BIGTIME 2 different times plus 2 of my friends.

Also when my fiancee was denied the first time they found out the exact reasons why she was denied before the petition was sent back to USCIS.

What in Gods name are you talking about? There is nothing a Senator can do so early on in the AP Process. If this person would have stated that he's been in AP for a long period of time (say 2 years as an example) than yeah, I would agree. But contacting a state representative (such a s a senator or congressman) so early in the AP process is rediculous & useless.

Now, what he can do and should do is get the e-mail address to the embassy in his country and e-mail them once a week, politely asking for an update on his AP. AP can last any amount of time and it could be for any amount of reasons. Please be patient and hopefully everything will turn out well.

Good Luck.

Have you ever been on AP ? I've been thru the whole trip. Senators staff helped me out a LOT. Why would you say not to ? What ? You a senator??/

1) Have I ever been on AP? Yes

2) How Long? 30 Days

3) Why would I say not to? If you read my post carefully, I didn't state that you shouldn't, just that he should give it some time before you do.

4) Why should he wait before calling his Senator? In my opinion, it's always prudent to have a little time pass before requesting the help of an appointed official (unless an emergency exists). This way you don't appear to be another person contacting them for every little thing.

If you are put on AP, it's something that the embassy has no control over. It might have been missing information or an additional background check that needed to be done. Again, my advise would be to at least give it 30 days before you go off the deap end. In the meanwhile, send them an e-mail once a week. And remember to always be as courtious as possible. After all, they are the gate keepers.

My Financee is placed on AP by the US Embassy, any recommendation on how to follow up on the case in the US and with the embassy?

Does any one knows how long it may take.

Were 10 people from iran on that day, all were placed on AP, except One.......

Call your senator ASAP and get his staff involved. Try to keep the petition at the embassy.

Have u ever had any luck with your Senator? because last time I had immigration problem with USCIS about my mom's citizenships which was placed on Name Check, Senator and Congressman they were both useless and couldn't do any thing.

May depend on what state and who your senator is.

Our senators immigration specialist helped us BIGTIME 2 different times plus 2 of my friends.

Also when my fiancee was denied the first time they found out the exact reasons why she was denied before the petition was sent back to USCIS.

What in Gods name are you talking about? There is nothing a Senator can do so early on in the AP Process. If this person would have stated that he's been in AP for a long period of time (say 2 years as an example) than yeah, I would agree. But contacting a state representative (such a s a senator or congressman) so early in the AP process is rediculous & useless.

Now, what he can do and should do is get the e-mail address to the embassy in his country and e-mail them once a week, politely asking for an update on his AP. AP can last any amount of time and it could be for any amount of reasons. Please be patient and hopefully everything will turn out well.

Good Luck.

AP has no normalcy or standard wait times. So Sorry.

While you are correct that there is no normal or set time frame when processing an AP but special circumstances do exist with this persons wife. Therefore it is not that far fetched to think that the US Embassy might take extrinuating circumstances into account when processing this AP.

That being said, AP can consist of any amount of things (including a background check not previously done by DOHS). my best advise remains that you be as patient as possible, but do contact them on a weekly basis to request an update on your AP. Have faith for you are not alone.

Thank you for your response back. I did email them back and they said some positive things. This is what they said.

Dear Mr. Whitted:

We are very, very sorry, but in your wife’s case, there is an administrative process that is required by law to be completed before we can approve your wife’s visa. Unfortunately, we did not notice that this process was necessary until after your wife had departed the Embassy.

We apologize for the confusion and the system malfunction that resulted in your wife having to come to the Embassy twice, and we also apologize for the delay in issuing your wife’s visa. We are doing everything possible to expedite her case, and we are sensitive to the fact that she is pregnant. We are hopeful that this process will be resolved soon.

Again, many apologies for the inconvenience caused to you and your wife.

Sincerely,

IV Unit

This is actually very positive. Ours was very similar and they did expedite it due to our son's (an American Citizen)health issues. 30 days is pretty good by those standards. Tell your wife not to sweat it, but keep sending them 1 e-mail per week to remind them of the sence of urgency of this case.

Good luck to you.