Can you get your passport returned during the process?

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

Hi everyone,

 

So, I’m way, way off the point of a visa being issued - but I also like to plan ahead, so, question time!

 

We’re hoping to get our NOA2 (if we’re successful, of course) in April/May (based on the timeline estimate, it’s predicted to arrive in April whilst I’m visiting my fiancé) - the plan would then be for me to have the medical in June - and then have the consulate interview around the 12th September (the reason for this date is because I’m flying out to visit my fiancé at the end of August for a special event on the 30th, so don’t want to miss that, so would want to do the interview as soon as I get back).

 

Now, I actually have my emigration passage booked already...I know that’s really not advisable, but there’s a reason! My elderly dog was diagnosed with a heart murmur last year and can no longer fly (he flew with me in 2017, when I lived in California for 6 months). The only other way to get a dog to America from England is on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship - however, the cruise doesn’t run all year round and the kennels get booked up really far in advance (by rich, older ladies, draped in Chanel and fur, with poodles, from the interviews/reviews I’ve seen online 😆). So, last summer I booked the cruise for me, my fiancé and my dog (it’s an 18 month waiting list for available kennels on the cruise) - we leave England on 19th November.

 

So, my hope is that if I’m interviewed on the 12th September and they have all my medical records etc, my visa should hopefully be granted on that day (we both have no criminal records, good jobs, lots of evidence of regular visits and ongoing relationships, etc) - so I would expect to receive it before the 19th November...however, I know from reading threads on here, that you cannot really expect anything and even after a visa being granted, your application may sit in AP status for a long, long time.

 

So what my back up plan is - if the visa hasn’t been issued, to request a return of my passport and take my dog out (we’ve planned a two week trip - 7 nights by sea to New York, then 7 days of driving from NY to LA)...and then I would leave my dog there with my fiancé and return to England to return my passport and continue waiting...however, I don’t know if it’s even possible to get your passport returned whilst you’re in AP? Anyone heard of this before?

 

I have a 10 year, multi entry tourist visa for America, so would use that to take my dog.

 

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice.

 

Zoë

Edited February 11, 2019 by Zoeeeeeee

[Hypnos 6,576]

Yes, you can request to keep your passport. They just won't be able to issue your visa since they won't have your passport to physically affix it to. They will notify you that they require your passport back, and you can then return it to them at that point. It's a fairly common request, particularly for people who travel often.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

Your visa will expire 6 months from the day of the medical so you might want to push your medical closer to your interview so you don't get a visa good for 1 month or less...just in case you get delayed.

 

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

5 hours ago, Hypnos said:

Yes, you can request to keep your passport. They just won't be able to issue your visa since they won't have your passport to physically affix it to. They will notify you that they require your passport back, and you can then return it to them at that point. It's a fairly common request, particularly for people who travel often.

Perfect, thank you very much - that’s a weight off my mind!

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

2 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Your visa will expire 6 months from the day of the medical so you might want to push your medical closer to your interview so you don't get a visa good for 1 month or less...just in case you get delayed.

 

That’s a really good shout - I want to make sure the medical documents are at the embassy in time for the interview, but if I do it in late July, that’ll still give me a month to make sure they have everything they need, before I leave the country for a couple of weeks.

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

For anyone that has kept their passport after the interview - once they notified you that they needed it back, how long did it then take for you to have the visa in hand? 

 

Thank you 🙏🏻 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

5 hours ago, Zoeeeeeee said:

For anyone that has kept their passport after the interview - once they notified you that they needed it back, how long did it then take for you to have the visa in hand? 

 

Thank you 🙏🏻 

 

They don't notify you. When you get back, you notify the courier to pick the passport up from you to take to the embassy. It's the same DX courier that is contracted to deliver passports/visas. Then allow several days for somebody to pick up the case to work on and pull your file. Then you are back to the "7-10 days" or "10-14 days"...whatever they are currently telling people to allow for processing. So if it all goes well, maybe minimum of two weeks.

 

But from what you wrote, you plan to interview after your August trip so will be leaving your passport with them on interview day. 

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

1 hour ago, Wuozopo said:

 

They don't notify you. When you get back, you notify the courier to pick the passport up from you to take to the embassy. It's the same DX courier that is contracted to deliver passports/visas. Then allow several days for somebody to pick up the case to work on and pull your file. Then you are back to the "7-10 days" or "10-14 days"...whatever they are currently telling people to allow for processing. So if it all goes well, maybe minimum of two weeks.

 

But from what you wrote, you plan to interview after your August trip so will be leaving your passport with them on interview day. 

Yep - sorry, I probably didn’t explain myself very well there. 

 

I plan to leave my passport when when I have the interview (in early September hopefully) - but if the visa hasn’t been issued by the first week or two in November, I’d like to get my passport back so I can take my dog over - I’d then return it to them when I get back to the UK (early December)...

[Jeanne Adil 1,651]

while this is Ok in UK to vJ members reading this and you are from high fraud country,  it is not the same

this is so country only applicable

 

in high fraud countries which is most  of the world

https://mypathtocitizenship.com/which-countries-are-on-the-uscis-high-fraud-lis

once your passport is asked for,  you will not get it back till the visa is ready or denied

this is so those in high fraud countries can  not travel abroad after interview as he/she could travel to a country the US deems a terrorist threat and all this requires  additional security checking

that is why we saw the post about a month ago   from a Senegal man (who interviewed in Morocco)and has been in AP  for almost a year and they have kept his  passport all this time

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

I don’t have any advice to offer but I just want to say I am so happy you are keeping your dog and making these crazy travel sacrifices for him/her. So many people would just give up their animal. I have a cat with a heart issue and although she doesn’t travel I understand some sacrifices that have to be made for them. Good luck on your visa journey  

[Moon&Stars 172]

We went through a similar situation. My fiancé had his interview and they kept his passport but they requested additional documentation. While he was working on the additional documents, he had to travel back to his home country to attend his father's funeral. They returned his passport to him and asked for him to return it to them when he got back to his residence country where he interviewed. So it is possible, but I don't know if it was based on the country or the extenuating circumstance of a death in the family.

[Mike E 11,739]

The larger issue is being admitted to the USA on a B1/B2 visa while your K1 is pending. Maybe CBP will admit you, maybe it won't.

[SalishSea 17,818]

2 hours ago, Mike E said:

The larger issue is being admitted to the USA on a B1/B2 visa while your K1 is pending. Maybe CBP will admit you, maybe it won't.

My husband is from a similar country to UK (NZ), and had no issues traveling here to the US on his B2 with our K-1 pending.  In fact, he was here when we received our NOA2.  He had a return ticket and evidence of loose ties to return to in NZ, such as a house rental agreement etc.

[Sarah&Facundo 595]

5 hours ago, Mike E said:

The larger issue is being admitted to the USA on a B1/B2 visa while your K1 is pending. Maybe CBP will admit you, maybe it won't.

My now-husband did this twice. No issue.

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

5 hours ago, Mike E said:

The larger issue is being admitted to the USA on a B1/B2 visa while your K1 is pending. Maybe CBP will admit you, maybe it won't.

I think I should be ok - I mean, surely if you’ve started going through the K1 process, that would be the time you’d be least likely to illegally stay...? I’ll have a return ticket booked and I’ve been many times and never overstayed, so I don’t anticipate problems...country of origin I’m sure plays a part too - coming from the UK, I assume the expectation of illegal immigration is reduced...