Are they working on your case?

[luzhok 0]

I'm in AP for seven months already. According to DOS, my case has not been touched for the past two months.

How much details do you get when calling DOS? Do you know if they are working on your case?

Edited March 12, 2010 by luzhok

[Whatznext 2]

Yes my case went months without any activity. When my case was on AP they could see activity on it about two weeks before it was sent back to the USCIS. They told me the AP is over and the VISA should be issued soon and then after a few days they said you need to call your senator. They told me my case was sent back before the Embassy told me. I found I got better information after 4pm it seems the long time employees do phone duty then. Good luck you should be hearing something soon.

[elya 17]

Hi luzhok, I don't know if you are still on this forum but wanted to try. my fiance's case is in AP for 4 months at Moscow embassy (after they had already issued the visa!!! called to get it back from him). DOS did not give any details besides "still administrative processing". They said the latest update was in June, but I read on another forum that they post an "update" on the case every time an inquiry is made; my congressman's aide has been sending letters (useless) so maybe that's it. I saw in your timeline the case has been returned to NVC, did I understand it correctly? Did they give you any information about what it means? Did embassy contact you to let you know this or how did you find out?

[belinda63 3,031]

As hard as it is to believe you have to remember a lot of the AP process involves waiting. A touch on your case means something was done but that may involve more waiting, for example the touch may be a request sent to Interpol for a records check. Well obviously Interpol doesn't see this as a high priority so it may be a while before a response is received. Hence the lack of touches in the interim. Something I found interesting, although it may no longer apply as this was about three years ago, is that they only do one check at a time. For example, if they need an FBI, CIA, and Interpol checks they will do one first, wait until it is cleared, then send the request for the second, etc rather than sending requests for all three at the same time.

Hang in there and don't let DOS discourage you too much. I actually told them one time that instead of paying for people to answer the phone to give non-information they should fire all them and use the money to hire more people to process the cases.

[treehugger 23]

Something I found interesting, although it may no longer apply as this was about three years ago, is that they only do one check at a time. For example, if they need an FBI, CIA, and Interpol checks they will do one first, wait until it is cleared, then send the request for the second, etc rather than sending requests for all three at the same time.

Hang in there and don't let DOS discourage you too much. I actually told them one time that instead of paying for people to answer the phone to give non-information they should fire all them and use the money to hire more people to process the cases.

Why oh why do they only do one at a time? That's like only doing one application at a time - how insane!! I love your suggestion, though I'm sure you can tell that in the three years since you and your SO went through this nothing's changed

[Traci - Andrew 14]

Why oh why do they only do one at a time? That's like only doing one application at a time - how insane!! I love your suggestion, though I'm sure you can tell that in the three years since you and your SO went through this nothings changed

Hi Tree

I think you will find that they only do one at a time for a couple of reasons.

1 - It keeps the system slow, that is the way they like it as more cases will fail due to relationship breakdowns, after all they are trying to protect the US borders from immigrants unless they have to be let in legally.

2 - If they contacted all the 3 law enforcement agencies (FBI, CIA & Interpol) at the same time, they could potentially be wasting valuable resources, as it only takes one agency to come back with a negative record that can deny the applicant entry in to the USA, but by doing it individually they can save these agencies excessive requests as I am sure that 10's or 100's of thousands are done each year.

For example if they checked me out and found that the Interpol check was bad against my case enough to stop my application, then they would not need the results from the CIA & FBI saving the resources of both of these agencies, but if they did all three together then the FBI and CIA results are of no use as the Interpol result was enough to stop the application and therefore has just wasted the FBI and CIA's time.

Don't get me wrong I agree from the applicants point of view that they should do them all at the same time as this speeds things up, however the USCIS & DOS are not exactly on the immigrant side, therefore by doing what they do is best for them.

Regards

Andrew

[treehugger 23]

Thanks, Andrew, that's a very sensible way of looking at it

I still want it all to be done faster though, and I know you do too

[Amit-N-Melody 11]

Interesting... I called DOS this morning and the Operator told me that there is noway to tell if the visa application has been "touched" I asked her then is my Husbands case sitting in a dark hole lonely and scared...she said that all she can see is the embassy is reviewing it... uggh... I think that it is pointless to call and ask the DOS operators anything... Even the operator agreed with me, she said that the only thing that she would be able to tell me is when the visa was issued...sooo ummmm ugggggh... this whole process is giving me an ulcer

[treehugger 23]

I don't understand if how they can't see anything and there's no information, how they can be so sure that the case is being actively worked upon. After all, it's only natural that a case sits on a desk every now and again while they wait for information, or the person working on it is away on holiday, off sick, etc.