Does the "Welcome to the U.S." paper really mean you passed?

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Hi, everyone,

First time posting! My Canadian husband had his K-3 visa in Montreal on Friday. When he had the interview, the woman asked him why I hadn't submitted my 2010 tax return. My husband replied that the interview letter stated that we had submitted everything that was needed, and that he didn't have to bring any other documentation with him. Someone else asked him that question as well. So, although the woman told him he passed and he received the "Welcome to the U.S." paper, she said that nothing is final until he actually receives his passport and visa back from the consulate. So, my question is: if she told him he passed and gave him that paper, does that really mean he passed, or can they still ask us to submit my 2010 tax return before they issue his visa? I'm worried because it's Day 3 after his interview and still nothing about his visa being sent by DHL on the website.

Thanks for all of your help!

[pocheros 101]

Montreal is notoriously slow for sending out visas. Some people wait up to 4 weeks to actually get their passport back in the mail. I'm pretty sure if they gave him the Welcome to the US Paper and they didn't explicitly tell him to send in his tax return it means he was approved. If you can help it I strongly recommend not setting a POE date/buying plane tickets until he gets his passport back since its unpredictable how soon he'll get it.

Edited July 27, 2011 by pocheros

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Thanks for the information. I was very worried that we would be waiting another few months Unfortunately, we already booked his flight to the U.S. for the 6th of August, since they told us it would take 2 weeks to return. But, I see that some people have waited 3 or 4 weeks. We might have to cancel and leave it open-ended if he doesn't receive it back by then. I'm hoping it doesn't take that long, since we have a son together who is very eager to see his Dad again!

[canadian_wife 1,822]

WOW -was it really a K3 visa? Or was it a CR-1?

You didn't fill in your timeline so I wasn't sure

Good luck

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Sorry, it was a CR-1. I didn't fill in my timeline, because the process has been very complicated, long and drawn-out. We originally filed in 2008 and had to re-file last year, due to a horrible lawyer, and also my mother-in-law having changed my husband's last name without his knowledge. It caused a lot of old wounds of his from his childhood to be reopened. Apparently, when he was a child, she had him illegally adopted by his step-father without his father's consent, and also somehow had his birth certificate changed to say his step-father was his father. He went to live with his father when he was 16, and luckily his father had his original birth certificate, so that's what he's been using since he was 16. So he has always gone by his father's last name his whole adult life, because he didn't know he was "legally" adopted and his name was changed. So when we applied for his visa originally, we used his father's last name (what he's been using for taxes, passport, etc.). When he applied for a copy of his birth certificate, he received a letter saying "no person with the given name and Social Insurance Number or biological father listed can be found." So he had to ask his mom and it was a big blow-out and pretty horrible. Anyway, we had to get a lawyer to represent us, to say that he didn't try to deceive the U.S. government by using an alias, that he didn't know his name had been changed, etc., etc., and we had to re-apply for the visa and put his step-father's last name in the section that asks whether he'd gone by any other names. Then the lawyer didn't send in some of the documents and we had to fire him and blah blah blah...

So, that's our story. It's been a very long process, so we are so anxious at this point for it to be over!

[pocheros 101]

Sorry, it was a CR-1. I didn't fill in my timeline, because the process has been very complicated, long and drawn-out. We originally filed in 2008 and had to re-file last year, due to a horrible lawyer, and also my mother-in-law having changed my husband's last name without his knowledge. It caused a lot of old wounds of his from his childhood to be reopened. Apparently, when he was a child, she had him illegally adopted by his step-father without his father's consent, and also somehow had his birth certificate changed to say his step-father was his father. He went to live with his father when he was 16, and luckily his father had his original birth certificate, so that's what he's been using since he was 16. So he has always gone by his father's last name his whole adult life, because he didn't know he was "legally" adopted and his name was changed. So when we applied for his visa originally, we used his father's last name (what he's been using for taxes, passport, etc.). When he applied for a copy of his birth certificate, he received a letter saying "no person with the given name and Social Insurance Number or biological father listed can be found." So he had to ask his mom and it was a big blow-out and pretty horrible. Anyway, we had to get a lawyer to represent us, to say that he didn't try to deceive the U.S. government by using an alias, that he didn't know his name had been changed, etc., etc., and we had to re-apply for the visa and put his step-father's last name in the section that asks whether he'd gone by any other names. Then the lawyer didn't send in some of the documents and we had to fire him and blah blah blah...

So, that's our story. It's been a very long process, so we are so anxious at this point for it to be over!

Oh, wow, that's awful! I'm sorry to hear you had to go through all that BS! Congrats on finally getting your visa. Anyways, worst case scenario you might have to buy another plane ticket. A lot of people get their visas quickly, too; it seems a bit like roulette. Of course, if you're far away from the consulate it might take you a little longer than others.

Also note that DoS has a tendency to say your visa is in all sorts of different stages at this point when it's really just waiting to be printed out. So if someone at DoS says your visa is in administrative processing it's generally nothing to worry about.

Edited July 27, 2011 by pocheros

[Inky 1,110]

Visas are not generally officially approved at the interview. They are recommended for approval. They have to go through another screening after the interview to make sure the papers are correct and complete and they fit the bill to actually be given a visa.

[pocheros 101]

Visas are not generally officially approved at the interview. They are recommended for approval. They have to go through another screening after the interview to make sure the papers are correct and complete and they fit the bill to actually be given a visa.

I didn't know this, thanks for clearing that up. I will be more careful about the advice I give in the future...

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Oh, so that means that they may still want my 2010 tax return. I hope not!

[Inky 1,110]

They usually require the most recent tax return which I kind of find strange about it since they did ask him a few times, but didn't request it from him. Hopefully it goes over without that hitch and the visa arrives soon but i'm kind of surprised.

[YankeeGrrl 0]

I just spoke with him on the phone and asked him to tell me again what they said. He said that a man asked him about my 2010 tax return in his interview. Then he sat and waited for 5 hours until the woman at the window called his name, and he went up. He said she had a stack of papers, and one paper had a yellow sticky note on it. She asked him again, and he said his interview letter indicated that they had everything they needed, but that I could send my 2010 tax return asap if they needed it. She then removed the yellow sticky, stamped the document, and then handed him that page that says "welcome to the U.S." with instructions about entering the U.S., etc. and said "the computer is still processing your paperwork, but welcome to the U.S." to him. So, I don't know what that means. She didn't say that they would be contacting him or myself to obtain my tax return, so I'm hoping it means that everything is ok. But, yes, you would think that they would want my most recent return.

[canuckbos 10]

I just spoke with him on the phone and asked him to tell me again what they said. He said that a man asked him about my 2010 tax return in his interview. Then he sat and waited for 5 hours until the woman at the window called his name, and he went up. He said she had a stack of papers, and one paper had a yellow sticky note on it. She asked him again, and he said his interview letter indicated that they had everything they needed, but that I could send my 2010 tax return asap if they needed it. She then removed the yellow sticky, stamped the document, and then handed him that page that says "welcome to the U.S." with instructions about entering the U.S., etc. and said "the computer is still processing your paperwork, but welcome to the U.S." to him. So, I don't know what that means. She didn't say that they would be contacting him or myself to obtain my tax return, so I'm hoping it means that everything is ok. But, yes, you would think that they would want my most recent return.

We had our interview July 19th in Montreal, had my husband's 2010 Income tax copy with us, but it was not asked for or mentioned. Had our Visa 72 hours later...

Not sure if this will help you but this was our experience.

[SF2007 48]

When your case is considered incomplete at the time of the interview they give you a sheet which explains how to use DHL to send in the missing piece. That sheet also explains it will take them an extra 4 to 6 weeks to process any evidence received by mail. If your husband did not get that piece of paper I would assume they are not requesting it.

You could call DHS to see how your case was updated since your interview. When the consulate requests documents, they can access that in the database. You will need your MTL00000000 number.

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Hi, again, everyone, thanks so much for all of your helpful information. I called the consulate, because if we were missing anything, I wanted to get it to them a.s.a.p. (and the separate thread about "How to Avoid the Montreal Consulate backlog" would have been very helpful!). The woman I spoke with said that, if there was anything missing from his application, that they would've told him at the interview. I was worried that he would receive a letter from them, which would slow things down. She said that sometimes it takes "a while" to ship things back, and that I had to try to be patient. It's always so easy for them to say when they're not waiting to be reunited with their husband and father of their child! I have to say that the woman I spoke with was very nice. I was worried I'd be treated as a nuisance, and I wasn't at all.

[YankeeGrrl 0]

Hi, again, everyone, thanks so much for all of your helpful information. I called the consulate, because if we were missing anything, I wanted to get it to them a.s.a.p. (and the separate thread about "How to Avoid the Montreal Consulate backlog" would have been very helpful!). The woman I spoke with said that, if there was anything missing from his application, that they would've told him at the interview. I was worried that he would receive a letter from them, which would slow things down. She said that sometimes it takes "a while" to ship things back, and that I had to try to be patient. It's always so easy for them to say when they're not waiting to be reunited with their husband and father of their child! I have to say that the woman I spoke with was very nice. I was worried I'd be treated as a nuisance, and I wasn't at all.