ADVICE - Followup on everything - dont trust

[John and Sonya 0]

I want to give advice on what I learned from our almost done Journey, well hopefully done!! We took all the advice we got from VisaJourney, what we read off the internet, and information from the Embassy, and put our paper work together well organized, no mistakes, and tons of additional information for 'Just In-case'. And we still had issues. Nothing compared to the poor families kept apart for months and years on Admin Review, but never less, mistake after mistake on the govenrment.

We first got caught up on the Adam Walsh law, good law, but my wife was at the interview and told to go home. But we donot need to rehash that and how they handled. More importantly, we called and called about what we can do about bringing my wife to US temporary while they straightened it out. They told us it would be very unlikely for her to get B-2 Tourist visa while immigration visa was pending. I said non-sense, my wife is entitled to a tourist visa just as much as any other foreigner, even more. We put a good letter together and many calls to prepare them of who we were and what we were upto, so when she went to Tourist Visa interview, they knew of her, the Counselor recongnized her from the Adam Walsh cancelation, and they did not ask any questions and told her to make sure she was back for her interview.

Embassy's are overburden and make lots of mistakes. They forget at times you are working with families. After Adam Walsh, Sonya and her daughter, were approved for immigrant VISA at their interview, and told to pick up her visa at the courier same or next day. She waited 3 days and called me. I called the embassy and they told me she was on ADMIN REVIEW for name check. They told me that I spelled her name incorrectly on the I-130 petition. We checked our copies and we made no mistakes. But we remembered when we filed our petition, that the lady spelled Sofiya into the database - S-O-F-I-A without the "Y". She said it did not matter - but our mistake one was not being persistent and bit us few month later, it did matter.

First advice, MAKE SURE ALL INFORMATION IS ENTERED INTO SYSTEM CORRECTLY. Check all documents you get, such as interview letter and correspondence with correct spelling and information. If doubt, do not leave counter till they change it. We should of insisted that she correct the mistake, we trusted her.

After we found out on Admin Review, I called Department of State ( DOS) every other day to check status. (202)663-1225 press 1 then 0 and you will get an agent 1-15minute wait. They will have information on your Visa application, even if you filed at embassy DCF. I gave them our case numbers and they would tell me if name check cleared or not.

Our problem #2 and Advice #2 - when calling, have a list of questions. When I was calling DOS, a little bird on my shoulder said to check my step-daughters VISA application. Only her mother was on Admin Review for name check. When the lady told me that my wifes VISA was approved and name check cleared, I decided to ask alot of questions on what this meant, what is next.... and finally I decided to check my step-daughters application. The lady told me my daughters visa was not approved and did not know why?

This could of led to other delays. I called embassy and asked the status of wifes visa, they said approved and printed and will be going out in the mail this day. Then I asked, what about daughters VISA, there was silence, then she admitted they forgot her visa. So we would of waited a week for snail mail to have VISA delivered just to find out that it was incomplete and have to try to get another appointment at embassy to have the daughter visa added. SO CALL every step and ask questions.

Next my wife, my very smart, observant, beautiful wife, told me that the courier service wrote the wrong address down into the computer and she corrected him, and he said he would changed it. We decided, to take our own advice and call and check the courier today if they had the right address, and they didnt of course. So our VISA would of been mailed and lost or delayed even more as undeliverable.

I read alot of letters on here, dont be afraid to call, they are a service to us. They maybe cold, but, we pay alot of money and spend alot of time to bring our families her LEGALLY - note on my feelings to the 12 million illegal aliens her in the country - another topic. So ask, demand answers, and check and double check all steps. But be polite and joke with them and be friendly, you will get much farther and ALOT more help. With a little charm, you can get alot more info.

So good luck, we are crossing our fingers that the VISA's will BOTH be delivered in a week, and all is correct. But we know there is a possibility that it will be wrong, so we made no plans as of yet for her to fly with her daughter to the USA.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Thank you for letting us know. Sounds like the Embassy may cause alot of problems even if it's their fault. I will make sure my records are examined when I receive them to verify their correctness.

[Jasman0717 9]

Thank you for sharing but what a frigging nightmare this must have been for you all. I am very happy to see you have been able to work through it.

[jms 0]

Does calling the state for info help if your fiance' is issued a visa, then cancelled the day he is told to pick it up and told he must wait for AP and will be contacted when reinvited for an interview? I do not know what to do. We are both devastated. Too cruel to do at the last minute.

[Dakine 26]

One of the MAIN things as you said is to check out the information USCIS is putting in there computers before they do so. Once it's in there they will have to do the entire trip again [biometrics anyway].

Had the same problem during AOS as they has wrong A#s for my daughter plus wrong spelling, plus they forgot to fingerprint her at Biomtrics also.

I didn't think they did Biometrics for kids as I never had to pay for such.

WRONG! They do a one finger print and take photo for the GC also.

After 3 trips doing Biometrics and me checking EVERYTHING carefully the last time they got it right.

My fault as I should have checked everything the first time but I was subservient and thought they knew what they were doing.

WRONG again.

Last time I took over and checked everything!

They were subservient that time!