STILL WAITING FOR INTERVIEW-How to Know if

[newenglander 0]

How can we know if they've lost his packet or sent it to the wrong address or _______________?

He sent in his checklist on Sept 9th and has spoken to someone in the Embassy who said it was fine and just to wait.

That seems like EONS ago and we are still waiting. We were hoping he'd be here for family Thanksgiving and marriage soon after but it's not looking good for us.

There is NO ONE to talk to or email in London. They delete your email without reading. You get a tape recorder for a phone call. Last week he phoned them again and got a code number to put in the subject heading of an email so he did that but no reply ever came.

Since we can't get through to them, (or CAN we?) does any American know if a state rep. will do anything for us? I've been told that our state senators can't do anything if it's a K-1 or K-3, just if it's a plain ordinary immigrant.

Do you think I should try to contact a representative from my state? Or do you know how to get any information out of London? Any and all help appreciated as we are desperate.

Other people seem to be getting their interviews in a few weeks but we've been waiting since early September. They've lost things in the mail before, that's one reason I'm so upset. Thank you for any help at all.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

It took you a long time to return the checklist. You didn't mention if you sent in the DS forms. If your NOA2 was March 31, it has an expiration of about July 31. That will be printed on the NOA2. You got the P3 from them but didn't follow up for 4 months after that. I was just thinking maybe they thought you abandoned the petition and it got sent somewhere or sorta put aside or misplaced.

You could call the Dept of State in the US. They often have good information of what might be written about your case. Ask alot of questions and try to get them to dig for answers to your questions. Tell them all that has transpired and your attempts to contact the embassy.

(202) 663-1225

press 1, then 0 to speak to a live person.

[MargotDarko 0]

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Edited November 5, 2008 by MargotDarko

[newenglander 0]

It took you a long time to return the checklist. You didn't mention if you sent in the DS forms. If your NOA2 was March 31, it has an expiration of about July 31. That will be printed on the NOA2. You got the P3 from them but didn't follow up for 4 months after that. I was just thinking maybe they thought you abandoned the petition and it got sent somewhere or sorta put aside or misplaced.

You could call the Dept of State in the US. They often have good information of what might be written about your case. Ask alot of questions and try to get them to dig for answers to your questions. Tell them all that has transpired and your attempts to contact the embassy.

(202) 663-1225

press 1, then 0 to speak to a live person.

Thank you. The reason it took him a long time to return the checklist is that he used the OLD form for the police report. The police took his money and sent his form to London and it was months before we found out that they don't do it that way anymore! The process had changed a few months previously. The police kept him waiting and waiting while they investigated why he didn't get his police report back.

Once we discovered (on here) that you don't do it though the police anymore, he sent to the right place and got it back really fast. Then he had the medical in London, had to go to his own doctor because London said he had high blood pressure -- went to his own doctor who said his blood pressure was due to the stress of going to the medical in London and THEY sent the information on to London.

His checklist was received in London on September 9th because he sent it signature required and also he actually spoke to a human who told him it had been received and that it was fine. This person told him to wait for a phone call and then a courier would deliver the interview letter. It's been months now and we haven't heard a thing and can't even get through to anyone.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

This person told him to wait for a phone call and then a courier would deliver the interview letter. It's been months now and we haven't heard a thing and can't even get through to anyone.

Sorry you had so many hold ups. Frustrating.

The interview letter (we call it Packet 4) comes in regular mail in a brown envelope like the Packet 3 things. You don't have to wait for a phone call. It just gets put in the letterbox.

A courier delivers the visa to you after you are approved at the interview and the Embassy keeps your passport to put the visa in it. If you are lacking something at the interview and they send you away not approved because you need to provide something else for them, then they won't keep your passport. After you get what's missing back to them and they are ready to approve, they notifiy you to contact the courier to pick up your passport and deliver it to the embassy.

It sounds like the person who said to wait for a phone call and courier was thinking you had already interviewed. I found the DOS very helpful several times and never had to wait long to get through. I know firsthand that sometimes info on your case gets screwed around. We were "tentatively" approved at the interview because the computers were down, but they said to leave the passport and make arrangements for the courier delivery. I called DOS after a couple of days and the lady said, "It says you were a no-show for your interview. What happened? Why didn't you go?" Geez! We were both there. Then she said she could look somewhere else and clicked away on her computer until she found something that said the visa had been printed on such and such date and should be with the courier.

Hope you get back on track soon.

[newenglander 0]

This person told him to wait for a phone call and then a courier would deliver the interview letter. It's been months now and we haven't heard a thing and can't even get through to anyone.

Sorry you had so many hold ups. Frustrating.

The interview letter (we call it Packet 4) comes in regular mail in a brown envelope like the Packet 3 things. You don't have to wait for a phone call. It just gets put in the letterbox.

A courier delivers the visa to you after you are approved at the interview and the Embassy keeps your passport to put the visa in it. If you are lacking something at the interview and they send you away not approved because you need to provide something else for them, then they won't keep your passport. After you get what's missing back to them and they are ready to approve, they notifiy you to contact the courier to pick up your passport and deliver it to the embassy.

It sounds like the person who said to wait for a phone call and courier was thinking you had already interviewed. I found the DOS very helpful several times and never had to wait long to get through. I know firsthand that sometimes info on your case gets screwed around. We were "tentatively" approved at the interview because the computers were down, but they said to leave the passport and make arrangements for the courier delivery. I called DOS after a couple of days and the lady said, "It says you were a no-show for your interview. What happened? Why didn't you go?" Geez! We were both there. Then she said she could look somewhere else and clicked away on her computer until she found something that said the visa had been printed on such and such date and should be with the courier.

Hope you get back on track soon.

It sounds like the person who said to wait for a phone call and courier was thinking you had already interviewed.

Well, he was the one who had the received packet on his desk, said it was fine, and told Pete that from now on they would be using couriers to deliver the interview letters (at least in the North.) Maybe it's because so many things get lost in the mail over there. One of our letters got lost in the mail and caused a delay. We don't care how Pete gets the letter as long as he gets it.

What you've said gives me some encouragement. I'll be calling DOS as soon as I can. Thanks!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Well if by chance the letter was sent and not delivered, DOS will know the date of your interview. If there's one scheduled it will give you some encouragement. But you need the appointment letter to show to the guys when you line up on appointment day.

Is this the number you called:

Operator Assisted Visa Information Call 09042-450-100 (120p/min)

Monday through Friday, between 8.00 am and 8:00 pm, and Saturday, between 09.00 am and 4.00 pm

They answer.

I called them once too. They gave me some erroneous info, like your Packet 3 has not been processed yet (or mailed out.) Then it arrived in the mail with a postmark showing that it had been posted 2 days before she said it hadn't begun Embassy processing.

Here's a number for SMS courier service. 0870 950 1760

Yep, you guessed it, I call them too. Lots. When it answers, choose the option "to schedule a pickup" just to get a live person. They will answer that but not the other option as I recall. I'm pretty sure it is option 2. Then when they answer, tell them you were supposed to have a delivery from the Embassy and could they check on it. They will ask you the confirmation number and just say I didn't get one, it's a letter not a passport. They can look it up by address. (Yes, this is from experience. We didn't get a confirmation number at the interview because the courier computers were down too. So they hand wrote basically the date in the blank for confirmation number.) They may not have it, but they could and don't know their way around the North. Just pretend like the Embassy said they sent it by courier until you're satisfied they really never got a delivery for you.

[newenglander 0]

I called them once too. They gave me some erroneous info, like your Packet 3 has not been processed yet (or mailed out.) Then it arrived in the mail with a postmark showing that it had been posted 2 days before she said it hadn't begun Embassy processing.

Got your information, thanks again. He called again today and got a human who gave him a code. This person also told him that there is NO RECORD of his packet ever having been received!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pete immediately went to his local post office where they retrieved the records that SHOWED THAT IT WAS DELIVERED TO THE EMBASSY AND SIGNED FOR on September 12.

I just finished emailing the embassy using the code and I included all information -- case number, Pete's dob, name of person at the embassy who signed for it, etc. Here's hoping the person he spoke to was WRONG about having no record of it. Here's hoping for some positive results.

[newenglander 0]

I just finished emailing the embassy using the code and I included all information -- case number, Pete's dob, name of person at the embassy who signed for it, etc. Here's hoping the person he spoke to was WRONG about having no record of it. Here's hoping for some positive results.

Me again. Apparently the embassy doesn't reply to an email from outside the UK? I haven't heard back from them and it's been one week--I'm in the US and I wrote on behalf of my fiance who doesn't have regular access to a computer anymore. I now have someone in our congressman's office who is going to email them. This is sooooooo depressing.

[rebeccajo 14]

Did you indicate wedding and travel dates on the checklist or did you leave those blank or state 'unknown'?

If the dates are blank, the interview will get pushed further down the line behind those who gave solid dates.

[newenglander 0]

Did you indicate wedding and travel dates on the checklist or did you leave those blank or state 'unknown'?

If the dates are blank, the interview will get pushed further down the line behind those who gave solid dates.

That's one thing that he didn't do -- he just put ASAP w wedding by the end of the 2008.

[rebeccajo 14]

Did you indicate wedding and travel dates on the checklist or did you leave those blank or state 'unknown'?

If the dates are blank, the interview will get pushed further down the line behind those who gave solid dates.

That's one thing that he didn't do -- he just put ASAP w wedding by the end of the 2008.

I would say that's about 75% of your problem.

If you returned any portion of Packet 3 (DS forms, etc) before the 4 month deadline, then the consulate assuming he has abandoned his application is a non-issue. Having sent the checklist alone back after the deadline does not indicate abandonment to them.

[newenglander 0]

If you returned any portion of Packet 3 (DS forms, etc) before the 4 month deadline, then the consulate assuming he has abandoned his application is a non-issue. Having sent the checklist alone back after the deadline does not indicate abandonment to them.

I'm not sure I completely understand what you mean. Deadline is 4 months from what date? Was his packet 3 sent after then deadline? Then you say it does not indicate abandonment to them?

Do you think he has just landed at the bottom of the pile? Packet 3 was received by them on Sept 12, a man he spoke to at the embassy said it was complete and fine. Said it was in the pipeline, just wait for the interview date. That was over two months ago.

[NickyMcMillan 0]

Take the hit, and call the embassy hotline. I did that after waiting three months for P4. The DOS kept telling me my interview letter would be sent to me, never told me of any problem. I called the embassy, who said they had not received my checklist, even though I sent it in with the rest of the documents. London has a reputation for losing documents! Once I sent in the checklist, I got my P4 a few days later.

All the best!

Edited November 15, 2008 by NickyMcMillan

[newenglander 0]

Take the hit, and call the embassy hotline. I did that after waiting three months for P4. The DOS kept telling me my interview letter would be sent to me, never told me of any problem. I called the embassy, who said they had not received my checklist, even though I sent it in with the rest of the documents. London has a reputation for losing documents! Once I sent in the checklist, I got my P4 a few days later.

All the best!

WOW, then this DOES happen?! We're not the only ones.

Two weeks ago HE called the helpline and wrote to them -- no answer (but it could be because he asked for a non-email reply.) Last week HE called the helpline again and this time I wrote to them and have had no answer. I used the new code that they issued to him.

Yesterday (Friday) I called the Dept of State and the man there said he would call them. I've also called my state congressman's office and they said they would write to them. We're both in suspense and feeling brokenhearted and forgotten. So sorry that you had to wait THREE months for it but sort of happy to hear that this happens often and it's not just US.