Getting MPs involved in the process

[JulianMelissa 52]

I'll just add that I had a nice chat with my MP, he agrees that our processing time is absolutely ridiculous, and by now he will have spoken with his acquaintances at the state department. So we shall see how it all works out now.

[MelissaJulian 30]

Dodi and I also went through Vermont, which was working faster than California. You are right at the same point I was when we got our interview date. You can't look at the whole process and compare them as there are so many steps, and so many places along the way that delays can happen. Right now, you are at about 3 weeks since you sent off you're P3. EVERYONE who has recently sent off their P3 and posted here has waited about 3-4 weeks to get their interview date. Calling the MP will do nothing, I guarantee, no matter how well-connected Julian may think he is. And I am speaking from the position of someone who knows a current Ambassador for the US, and who has used these connections when it was warranted. You will likely hear something soon, if Julian's call hasn't ruffled feathers at the embassy and made them mad, which is VERY possible. If you end up waiting too much longer, you can thank your fiance for causing the delay.

Thanks marlea. I guess so much of my anxiety comes from the fact that this is our second time trying for the K1, so it feels like I have been waiting for 18 months and not 5 months!

[marlea 84]

You just have to keep perspective. Also remember that you have been fortunate enough to see your fiance during the process. Our visa may be going a bit faster than yours, but I have only seen my fiance once in the past two years and have been together for four. Money and work schedules have made things difficult. So I feel quite fortunate that our process is going quickly, but even if my fiance gets is visa soon, he won't be flying over here until after Christmas. You really have to see the bigger picture because there is no use in worrying and fretting over having to wait a few extra days.

Edited September 10, 2010 by marlea

[MelissaJulian 30]

I'll just add that I had a nice chat with my MP, he agrees that our processing time is absolutely ridiculous, and by now he will have spoken with his acquaintances at the state department. So we shall see how it all works out now.

Oh honey, I'm so glad to hear that!

[marlea 84]

I'll just add that I had a nice chat with my MP, he agrees that our processing time is absolutely ridiculous, and by now he will have spoken with his acquaintances at the state department. So we shall see how it all works out now.

Did you tell him that your processing time, while "ridiculous", is actually standard and that you were basically asking for him to get involved so that you can jump the queue? There are others that have been waiting longer than you have. Why should your visa become more important than someone else's? And don't MPs have better things to do with their time than help their constituents leave the UK permanently?

[JulianMelissa 52]

Did you tell him that your processing time, while "ridiculous", is actually standard and that you were basically asking for him to get involved so that you can jump the queue? There are others that have been waiting longer than you have. Why should your visa become more important than someone else's? And don't MPs have better things to do with their time than help their constituents leave the UK permanently?

The processing time may be 'standard,' but if the queue time at your local Asda were 2 hours, it wouldn't matter if this were the 'standard' queue time or not, you wouldn't shop there now would you?

I'm not asking anybody to allow me to jump the queue, I'm asking the layabouts at DOS to do their job in a timely manner. Perhaps if more British officials were ringing them up, the queues would move faster. And as for MPs having better things to do, well I think a phone call for a loyal Tory constituent will hardly derail the Empire.

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

The processing time may be 'standard,' but if the queue time at your local Asda were 2 hours, it wouldn't matter if this were the 'standard' queue time or not, you wouldn't shop there now would you?

I'm not asking anybody to allow me to jump the queue, I'm asking the layabouts at DOS to do their job in a timely manner.

Perhaps if more British officials were ringing them up, the queues would move faster.

And as for MPs having better things to do, well I think a phone call for a loyal Tory constituent will hardly derail the Empire.

Please tell me why we here in tthe US would care what a British official has to say about our policies and procedure in the visa process.

[marlea 84]

The processing time may be 'standard,' but if the queue time at your local Asda were 2 hours, it wouldn't matter if this were the 'standard' queue time or not, you wouldn't shop there now would you?

I'm not asking anybody to allow me to jump the queue, I'm asking the layabouts at DOS to do their job in a timely manner. Perhaps if more British officials were ringing them up, the queues would move faster. And as for MPs having better things to do, well I think a phone call for a loyal Tory constituent will hardly derail the Empire.

If you haven't noticed where I have said this before, your call won't help. I am on a first name basis with someone who has spent his career at the DOS (20+ years) and calls the current Secretary of State by her first name when he speaks to her. He knows many of the higher-ups all around the world in various US embassies. I once had a run-in with the British authorities due to a paperwork error, and I used this connection that I had and he was able to call up people at the US embassy in London for me and get me names of people. I still have all those connections at the DOS. And I will tell you, that having those connections did NOTHING to solve the issue quickly. It still took two months before everything was resolved and I was given a diplomatic visa by the UK.

If the lines at ASDA were long, I wouldn't shop there as I would find somewhere else to shop. But if ASDA was the only place to shop, or they were the only ones who carried a certain item I needed, I would wait in a 2 hour line. Sadly, the US embassy is the only place that can grant you a US visa. You have to wait in the line that they dictate. Try to jump it, and you will likely be put back at the end. As I have said, I will be very surprised if your call doesn't make things worse as you are basically asking for special treatment. Your case is not any different from the hundreds of others, so there will likely be no special treatment given.

[JulianMelissa 52]

Please tell me why we here in tthe US would care what a British official has to say about our policies and procedure in the visa process.

For the same reasons your President Bush sought the approval of the British government before he invaded Iraq. But thanks for the typical narrow-minded American response, I've been expecting it.

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

For the same reasons your President Bush sought the approval of the British government before he invaded Iraq. But thanks for the typical narrow-minded American response, I've been expecting it.

So you are comparing the visa process to an act of war. Talk about narow minded....

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Oh man, Julian -- you have been missed. I'm just waiting for this one to be locked.

I'm going to chime in and say that it is highly unlikely your call or your MP's call is going to anything positive. You and Melissa are on track to get your date next week, maybe the week after. Cool your jets, go have a beer (or sixteen).

[JulianMelissa 52]

As I have already said, I’m not looking for special treatment, I’m looking for the state employees to do the job I paid them to do. If that takes a phone call, then so be it. And if you want to accuse me of trying to hop the queue over a phone call, then guilty as charged. But I don’t see it this way at all. We’ve been waiting well over a year, I think it’s about my bloody time and I’ll do what it takes to make that happen.

And where exactly is your evidence for saying a phone call is going to have my file put at the back of the pile? Have you actually spoken to petitioners who rang their MP, only to have their case delayed? I think not. Furthermore, if you knew anything about my MP, you’d know he’s very well connected with your government. Putting my file to the back of the queue after a personal phone call from him would be a slap in the face. I don’t think even your Hillary Clinton would be so daft.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I think I'm falling in love with you again, Julian.

[marlea 84]

You really think that a call from your MP is going to make a bunch of American civil servants work faster? Not likely. As someone else pointed out, we aren't talking about a war here, we are talking about visa procedures that have been in place for quite a while. One call from one MP over one random UK citizen isn't going to make a difference to anyone in the embassy. And yes, I know FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE that files quite often "go missing" or end up at the bottom of a pile when someone wants them to. I really can't give specific evidence on a public forum. If you hadn't noticed, I was granted a diplomatic visa at one point. That pretty much indicates I have a pretty good idea how the DOS works as I have dealt with it often.

And the year long wait isn't the fault of the DOS procedures. You applied in April. You are still moving faster than many other people in the process.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

We’ve been waiting well over a year, I think it’s about my bloody time and I’ll do what it takes to make that happen.

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