ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING 221(G) EXPLAINED

[Faizan89 6]

Hello Everyone,

I just finished my immigration process and I wanted to post this topic for people who have been placed in Administrative processing 221(g) and don't know what to expect. Back in 2012 when I was placed in Administrative Processing, I had no clue what to expect and found various posts with no clear guideline as to what should be done and what to expect. Whatever I post here is totally based on my experience and I am hoping it will help people that are going through the similar situation.

We got married in June 2011 and I had applied for CR1 visa in fall of 2011. It took about 8 month from the day we filed our case until the interview date which took place at the consulate in Montreal. I would say the procedure was really smooth and we got the interview date within the expected time frame.

My interview was very easy and lasted only 5 minutes. The officer barely asked any questions and did not ask for any proof what so ever. Once my interview concluded I was handed a welcome letter and the officer told me I should receive my visa within a few days.

I was so excited, booked my ticket, quit my job and started packing. I didn't hear anything from the consulate for a week and I started getting a bit worried. Then about 10 days later, I received a letter in mail that gave me the shock of my life. The letter stated that my visa is refused due to a clause called 221(g) because my case needed further administrative processing. Me and my wife started freaking out and didn't know what to do. We contacted our lawyer and he had no idea what AP was and started emailing the US consulate which did not help at all.

I started doing some research on it and didn't find any clear guideline. People had different opinion on this. Some people advised to involve congressman and others advised to wait. So here is my suggestion based on my experience. Even if one person benefits from this I'll be happy. I will use the abbreviation 'AP' for Administrative Processing which is also known as Administrative Review or 221(G).

1) If you're born in MENA country/Muslim country such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan or have a Muslim name such as Khan, Muhamad or have visit any of these countries previously or have parents who immigrated from there, chances are you will be placed in AP. The name does Not have to be a common muslim name. Also if you're from India and your last name is Singh, Patel or any other common name you may also be place in AP. Women usually don't go through AP as much as men do.

2) You may be approved at the interview initially and the officer might hand you a welcome letter stating that your visa is approved you'll be receiving it soon but you may still be placed in AP.

3) Once in AP, the consulate will NOT give any details or reasoning as to why you were placed in AP and how long it may take (Unless its document related). You can email them 10 million times and will receive the same response. "Your case is currently undergoing mandatory AP, we will let you know once the process is completed".

4) You can involve a congressman, Senator, President or a Prime minister. It will NOT speed up the process or help you in any way. Trust me on this one. We involved a Congressman because people posted online that it speeds up the process but it doesn't help much. The ONLY way it helps is that instead of waiting 2-3 weeks to get a response from the Consulate, you only have to wait one week because they're obligated to respond to congressman within that time frame. The response would still be the same.

5) Please DO NOT contact the consulate for inquiry for at least 2 months from the date you're placed in AP. It does frustrate them.

6) If you're a Canadian Citizen i.e, have a Canadian Passport, AP will take 12 months. Yes there are cases that are resolved sooner but 12 months is the maximum time consulate can take and usually it does take that long. So be prepared. My interview was on September 17, 2012 and my AP was completed on September 17, 2013. They cannot take longer than 1 year for Canadian citizens. If you have a Pakistani Passport, AP could take any where form 2 to 5 years, so be prepared to wait.

7) Now lets get to what really goes on in AP. Well, it could be anything we don't know. But from what my lawyer told me, they run security checks and various other checks on you. My lawyer told me they run checks from up to nine different agencies and it takes time to get the checks completed.

8) Calling DOS won't help much either. I used to call them once a week but they didn't help. They will tell you the same thing as consulate so don't waste your time calling them.

9) Once AP is completed, you will either receive an email or a letter in mail stating that your visa is ready for further processing. They might request some updated documents such as Medical and Police report. Depending on what got expired.

10) DOS will not update their system until the visa is issued so don't freak out if they still say you're case is still in AP.

12) Once you submit your paperwork, you can submit an online inquiry to the consulate to make sure they received it. Usually it takes about 20 days for an officer to have your documents in hand for processing. Then hopefully if everything goes well, you should receive your visa package within 45 days of submitting everything. You can check your visa status on CAEC website to see whether its issued or not.

Hope this post helps. People might have different experiences but whatever I posted is totally based on my experience.

Let me know if you have any questions with regards to this and I will try to answer to the best of my ability. Thank you and I hope and Pray that you can be with your spouse soon

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Fayyaz (Fez) Khan.

[Flames9_RN 358]

There have been on others were their congress person did get info for them...some congress people do more than others

[Kathryn41 3,205]

what an experience! Thank you for posting - I am sure it will help (albeit reluctantly!) other Canadians who may find themselves in the same circumstances.

[sirius 32]

Curios to know, do they keep your passport while in AP? What if you have travel plans/work commitments in the near future?

[gwenstar 66]

Sounds like a frustrating and stressful process. I am glad that you finally got approved and are sharing this so it might be able to help someone else going through it. I can't imagine.

I hope everything is going well for you now!

[Faizan89 6]

Hi,

If they inform you about your AP at the interview, you have an option to ask for your passport. They will give it to you if you ask. If you're notified about AP after the interview through letter or email, chances are they might not mail you the passport. You will have to submit an online inquiry requesting for your passport and they will mail it to you. Hope this helps

Curios to know, do they keep your passport while in AP? What if you have travel plans/work commitments in the near future?

[MyVisa Journey 24]

i have a question did the last updated status on ur visa case change before u were told to come for the visa? or not im just curious if they updated it before they called . not the status AP just the date i mean

[Faizan89 6]

Yes, the date on my case changed about twice a week but the status remained the same until the actual CR-1 Visa was issued. Once they issued the visa, the status changed to ""CR-1 Visa Processing Completed""

i have a question did the last updated status on ur visa case change before u were told to come for the visa? or not im just curious if they updated it before they called . not the status AP just the date i mean

[LaVegano 12]

Thanks for info.

[inlovebutlonely 6]

My hubby is in pakistan and he was just put on administrative review, from reading what you posted are you telling me we may be apart for up to 5 more years not just 3 months like the letter stated. is there anything i can do?

[LMLM 4]

Hello fez, thanks for the info. I'm in AP for 2 months now and my ceac status neverer change from the start it's READY for the interview. You are right consul told me that I will get my visa within a month

[rowanheather 23]

1) If you're born in MENA country/Muslim country such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan or have a Muslim name such as Khan, Muhamad or have visit any of these countries previously or have parents who immigrated from there, chances are you will be placed in AP. The name does Not have to be a common muslim name. Also if you're from India and your last name is Singh, Patel or any other common name you may also be place in AP. Women usually don't go through AP as much as men do.

OP -- curious about your opinion -- my husband is a Canadian citizen and we've filed for CR-1. He has visited Afghanistan once as part of his service in the Canadian Forces. Do you think this will increase his chances of AP? Do you think military status has any bearing?

[sirius 32]

After reading this post, I was sweating buckets and preparing myself for a long AP. I have visited the UAE, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and lived in Pakistan for 6 years. My ethnic background is also Pakistani. However, I had a very smooth processing at Montreal consulate and was given visa in hand after 4 days (weekend in between). I have also never experienced any issues at POE at any country except Israel. Everyone's case is different. You could be Caucasian with a criminal record and be placed in AP, or you could be from one of the MENA countries and get put in AP. I also think where you are born matters a lot. My wife was born in Pakistan but moved to the US when she was 1 year old, I was born in UK - and whenever we travel she gets pulled by the TSA for extra-checking. Obviously, if you say something that doesnt sit well with the CO during your interview (regardless of how short it is), they may put you on AP. Over all, I think getting put in AP for prolonged periods is an exception, not a rule.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

6) If you're a Canadian Citizen i.e, have a Canadian Passport, AP will take 12 months. Yes there are cases that are resolved sooner but 12 months is the maximum time consulate can take and usually it does take that long. So be prepared. My interview was on September 17, 2012 and my AP was completed on September 17, 2013. They cannot take longer than 1 year for Canadian citizens. If you have a Pakistani Passport, AP could take any where form 2 to 5 years, so be prepared to wait.

Please provide link to claim that AP can not take longer than 1 year for Canadian citizens.

[Faizan89 6]

hi,

sorry for the delayed response. I actually didn't find this information online. My lawyer gave me this info and based on my conversation with other VJ users, it usually doesn't take over 1 year for Canadians.

6) If you're a Canadian Citizen i.e, have a Canadian Passport, AP will take 12 months. Yes there are cases that are resolved sooner but 12 months is the maximum time consulate can take and usually it does take that long. So be prepared. My interview was on September 17, 2012 and my AP was completed on September 17, 2013. They cannot take longer than 1 year for Canadian citizens. If you have a Pakistani Passport, AP could take any where form 2 to 5 years, so be prepared to wait.

Please provide link to claim that AP can not take longer than 1 year for Canadian citizens.