LONG delay in visa (merged)

[belishabeacons 3]

thanks penguin for merging! didn't mean to post two different posts

Nich- Nick:

If he did submit his DS-160 form, then he has a confirmation. Right? Tell them and give the date. Do you know the date?

Not sure on the DS-160- he is checking up on this, as well as the payment for the visa and the courier.
He had a medical. What date?
December 22, 2013 I believe.
He received an interview appointment letter from the embassy? What is the date on the letter?

The letter states the interview as 27 February, 2014.

Have you confirmed the LND number? Seen it in writing from an official source? Yes-- the LND number is from USCIS and the embassy, both in writing.

And see if DOS will help since NVC won't.

Do you happen to have a contact number for someone at the DOS? I can try to do some research.

Thank you so much for all of your help! I'm having a mini stroke over here-- crying all the time, etc.

Penguin:

Why are you contacting NVC if the interview already happened? Because I've used the contact form for the embassy and they haven't responded, except to send me that email above. I have been desperately calling everyone for about 2.5 months!

Do you have the case number? You should be able to see online what the status of the petition/ visa is. Yes, when I check the case status online it just says 'ready for interview.'

When your fiance went to interview, what was said? They said "everything appears to be in order" and then took his passport from him to be mailed back with the visa.

Did he get any piece of paper then, or with the passport? I don't believe he received a piece of paper at the interview, or with the passport.

How long after interview did he get the passport back? He got the passport back about a week and a half after the interview, sans visa.

Thank you for all of your help, too!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I have been reading this UK forum practically daily since 2008. I have seen lots of wrong letters, appointment letters arriving after the date, even two people with the same name who had their files switched, but I have never heard a story like yours. I am puzzled how they have no record and you have been checking for 2.5 months. How did you email them? How many times, and no response ever?

Have you seen a copy of the interview letter? The date I was asking about is the letter date...when it was mailed. It should be on the letter, as well as the appointment date. Get a scan of it and post it. fill out your timeline on VJ.

DOS (202) 485-7600 press 1, then 0. They know anything London has put into the computer. The stopped taking K1 calls because people called every day asking if they had an interview yet or asking the reason their date changed on CEAC. You will have to get them to hang on long enough to listen to your problem and know you don't have some frivolous request. Worth a try. Tell them you have an actual error and nobody will answer.

[belishabeacons 3]

Hey Nich- Nick,

Thank you for all of your help.

At first, my fiance and I waited for about a month, hoping it was a mix up (first mistake). Then, we just called the embassy over and over again, after checking our CEAC (second mistake). They fielded us to the NVC, who fielded us back to the embassy, who asked us to use the embassy contact form online. I emailed them twice- once on April 28, and once last week, and they finally responded to me on Friday. I have since emailed them twice to reply in the email chain with the dates of all of our appointments, and asking them to take a look again at our file.

My fiance is currently travelling and will scan the letter when he gets home tomorrow evening, so I can post it on the timeline here.

I am so distressed about this situation... it seems like I have gone about trying to get in contact to fix things the absolute wrong way! I'm glad I'm finally getting a response from the embassy at least (with that email), but I hope that we can sort everything out. I'm sorry I seem so frazzled- I just am!

I will call the DoS first thing Monday morning and do as you suggest.

Again, I'm sorry if this seems so complicated! It's just bananas to me.

[belishabeacons 3]

Hello all,

An update: called the embassy and the doctors. The doctors have clear records of his interview, and have forwarded the documents to the embassy. However, the embassy has no record of his DS-160 or even an interview... so clearly something went wrong in that process. My fiance has resubmitted his DS-160. However, in the confirmation email, it says he didn't upload the photo with the correct specifications. On the document he signed online, though, it says if you do not have a photo you can bring it to the interview.

Does the London embassy require him to upload the photo again, and resubmit his DS-160, if his photo is not correct? If so, will submitting it again ruin his chances of submission?

Additionally, is there a way to double check the embassy has received his medical documents?

ONE FINAL QUESTION (thank you guys for all of your help)- obviously because we gathered the documents for the I-130 in February, the documents are dated from then. Would we have to collect the documents all over again and sign them again because it's been 3 months? Or, does the embassy have a limit of time on which to accept documents?

Thank you all for your help. It's been an exasperating 11 weeks, but at least now we have an answer and can do it all over again (I don't even understand what went wrong...)

Best,

Paige

Edited May 23, 2014 by belishabeacons

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hello all,

ONE FINAL QUESTION (thank you guys for all of your help)- obviously because we gathered the documents for the I-130 in February, the documents are dated from then. Would we have to collect the documents all over again and sign them again because it's been 3 months? Or, does the embassy have a limit of time on which to accept documents?

Thank you all for your help. It's been an exasperating 11 weeks, but at least now we have an answer and can do it all over again (I don't even understand what went wrong...)

Best,

Paige

See this page. http://london.usembassy.gov/application_documents.html

Evidence of Support (Affidavit of Support): All applicants are requried to establish that s/he will not become a public charge in the United States. Please note that this evidence must be less than one (1) year old when presented at the visa interview. Please follow this link for more information.

I still think you should call DOS and compare their story.

[belishabeacons 3]

Thank you again for your knowledge!

Called the DOS who wouldn't even try to help me. Just referred back to the embassy. Plead my case, called the embassy, finally got someone in touch who managed he visas, and they were quite rude so I'm just giving up. At least the medical is done so well get a second interview quickly.

Do you happen to know about the photos?

[belishabeacons 3]

Hello all again,

We've started the process all over again, but thank god we have the medical already to expedite the process.

We've completed the readiness checklist again, but we are a little confused by this paragraph on the london website (http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html)

"When you have obtained all of the required documents and are prepared for the visa interview, you are required to email the Notification of Applicant(s) Readiness form to the Immigrant Visa Unit. See "Contact and Mailing Address" on the right-hand side of the page. Note: The failure to notify the Immigrant Visa Unit promptly will delay the processing of your application. "

Isn't completing the readiness checklist informing them? If not, where should we email them? Just using the online contact form? No email is listed-- just an address on the side.

Thank you guys so much for your help!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hello all again,

We've started the process all over again, but thank god we have the medical already to expedite the process.

We've completed the readiness checklist again, but we are a little confused by this paragraph on the london website (http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html)

"When you have obtained all of the required documents and are prepared for the visa interview, you are required to email the Notification of Applicant(s) Readiness form to the Immigrant Visa Unit. See "Contact and Mailing Address" on the right-hand side of the page. Note: The failure to notify the Immigrant Visa Unit promptly will delay the processing of your application. "

Isn't completing the readiness checklist informing them? If not, where should we email them? Just using the online contact form? No email is listed-- just an address on the side.

Thank you guys so much for your help!

That is a webmaster problem. When they change procedures, they edit poorly sometimes. You used to mail the DS-2001 form. So that paragraph used to say something like "when you have blah blah, you are required to mail the DS-2001 Readiness... to the Immigrant Visa Unit....see the mailing address blah blah..." (which was also where you mailed paper application forms).

This is what you submit online which they are calling email .

(The last thing on this page. ) http://london.usembassy.gov/iv/notification_of_applicant_readiness.html

[belishabeacons 3]

Hey Nich-Nick,

Thanks. That's what I thought, and what we did last time, but the lady at the embassy said we had to email them when we were done with the readiness checklist? Very confused.

This whole 'losing our application' thing has made me far less confident in every move I've made thus far.

I just hope somehow they fix the error when Knightsbridge resends the medical...

You guys have kept my sanity over the past week when everyone i've spoken to in an official capacity wouldn't help!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hey Nich-Nick,

Thanks. That's what I thought, and what we did last time, but the lady at the embassy said we had to email them when we were done with the readiness checklist? Very confused.

This whole 'losing our application' thing has made me far less confident in every move I've made thus far.

I just hope somehow they fix the error when Knightsbridge resends the medical...

You guys have kept my sanity over the past week when everyone i've spoken to in an official capacity wouldn't help!

This would be a time to get a Congressman involved because they have to give answers to them within 3 days. They could be requested to pull the paper file and verify they have it and there is no record of interview, I -134, police certificate, etc. But you are re-doing so it may get resolved this time.

I can't conceive of a scenario where this would happen unless your fiancé pretended to be doing these things. Where nothing is entered in the computer as submitted and there is nothing in the paper file either?? Did you ask them to check that file?

[belishabeacons 3]

I asked them to check both the paper and electronic file and they had nothing, not even the medical, which is ridiculous because the doctors confirmed they sent it. I can only imagine there was some electronic error in October when they switched from paper to electronic and they just... lost his file somehow as he has confirmation of his DS-160 from back then, as well as the medical etc. What I think may have happened is that the DS-160 got messed up, somehow, and he scheduled his medical and his interview over the phone and the interviewer failed to tell him that they were missing the DS-160.

It didn't matter to the embassy that we have physical proof of each of these steps, however.

I understand why people would think he was pretending to do these things, but sadly we have the evidence that he did and the embassy still won't listen. I'm just making sure each time is verified like three times this go around, and since he's done the medical and has all the forms ready, it should be solved within 6-8 weeks (I hope).

They do have the I-134 at the embassy though, so at least there is that. Just not the interview or medical or DS-160. The medical was resent on Friday, so should be there within the next 2-3 days.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

and he scheduled his medical and his interview over the phone and the interviewer failed to tell him that they were missing the DS-160.

The medical was resent on Friday, so should be there within the next 2-3 days.

Two more things that don't make sense.

1) You can't schedule a K1 interview by phone. If he did that, he talked to the Non-immigrant people who do student, visitor, etc visas. They can phone in. There is no way an approval would be given for a K1 if there was no Application (DS-160) or medical results to review. You can't have an interview without those. They would not even be mailed an interview letter.

2) I spoke with Knightsbridge myself a while back asking if they could replace a lost medical file when USCIS fails to find it and match it up with the Adjustment of Status application. It happens and people always post "call the medical clinic in your country and get a copy." I was wondering if that was possible. So I rang up Knightsbridge. The woman said we keep no records because we are contracted by a third party (US government) so we turn over everything to them and keep nothing. So now you say they are sending it again. You spoke to them yourself and they have a file? Puzzling.

[belishabeacons 3]

1) I think he may, in fact, have scheduled it with the non-immigrant people and just didn't understand the process or something, which is frustrating for me as I basically did everything else myself. That might be issue number 2.

2) I spoke to them on Friday and they said they confirmed that they had sent the medical file back when he had the interview, and that they would resend again. Maybe they've changed their policy? I definitely spoke to them on the phone.

[belishabeacons 3]

Even the embassy recommended we call Knightsbridge as apparently they keep those files 'forever.' Very odd!

[belishabeacons 3]

I really appreciate all of this help... truly.