IR1 Interview “temporarily refused” - additional evidence requested

[Gary137 7]

Hello everyone,

 

So, I had my expedited IR1 visa interview yesterday but unfortunately was “temporarily refused” on the basis that I did not have a police check from China where I lived for a couple of years. This somewhat surprised me as I had uploaded to the CEAC website an explanation as to why I could not obtain one (virtually impossible outside the country, entirely so without the Residence Card I no longer possess), an explanation which had been accepted by NVC. I brought a signed letter from my former employer attesting to the fact I was never arrested in China but sadly, this was deemed insufficient by the interviewer. A real gentleman, he explained that I needed to email evidence of my efforts to obtain a Chinese police check which I immediately set about doing. All my fruitless correspondence with the Chinese embassy was conducted via telephone so I didn’t have much of a paper trail on that front however, alongside a lengthy explanation of everything I did to try and get hold of the police check, I included screenshots of emails I had with my old employer, with an agency who claimed they could (but ultimately couldn’t) help, a document I signed granting power of Attorney to this company, the aforementioned mentioned note attesting to my good behaviour and finally, a sworn affidavit stating that I had gone to every reasonable length to try and get this police check.

 

My questions simply are:

 

A) Do you think this additional evidence is sufficient?

 

B) If so, how long will this take? They retained my passport which I took as a good sign. My interview was yesterday morning and I sent the email that evening. I immediately received an automated message stating it had been received alongside a similar message to what appears on the embassy website regarding delays resulting from the Covid fallout.

 

C) Is there any means by which I can contact the embassy to confirm it is being looked at/to get any kind of timeframe? Is it another case of waiting indefinitely? The email reply I received stated that address was just somewhere to send requested information rather than a route by which to open up correspondence.

 

I asked these questions to my interviewer and while he was generally very helpful, he was understandably pretty vague. Also, I’ll admit to being pretty shellshocked by the news and I’m not sure as to how much information I was retaining at that point.

 

I should also point out that while my situation is unfortunate, it is also a little more complicated than most and I don’t want this to worry others unnecessarily. The people at the embassy are very nice and over the course of my time there, I saw several other interviewees receive good news.

 

Thanks for reading and any advice/info you can offer.

[SteveInBostonI130 3,463]

Hi,

 

Sorry this happened to you.  You have to consider that the NVC is more of a document check versus document evaluation.  They see that you uploaded a PCC or an explanation of why not a PCC.  They do not evaluate if that explanation is sufficient - it is ultimately based on the judgement of the CO at the embassy.

 

Also, because it is a judgement call by the CO, it is difficult to say if the new evidence you submitted is sufficient or not.  To me, it seems ok, but the CO might need something more substancial.  He needs to justify to his superiors why he approved your visa when you did not submit the PCC from China.  He needs the evidence you provide to also be his evidence of his judgement call.

 

I think the best way for you to see how things are going is to check your visa status at the CEAC site:

 

https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?eQs=o/iS8zDpeAKjMWCuebHqOw==

 

Just enter your case number and see the status.  "Refused" is ok for now, but it should update to AP while the CO evaluates the new data you sent.  Ready and Issued is what you want to see.

 

Good luck!

[Wuozopo 4,293]

59 minutes ago, Gary137 said:

B) If so, how long will this take? They retained my passport which I took as a good sign. My interview was yesterday morning and I sent the email that evening. I immediately received an automated message stating it had been received alongside a similar message to what appears on the embassy website regarding delays resulting from the Covid fallout.

This person’s additional information was received at the embassy on 6 Aug and changed to “issued” eleven days later. 
https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/745076-questions-abut-221g-london/

 

 

1 hour ago, Gary137 said:

C) Is there any means by which I can contact the embassy to confirm it is being looked at/to get any kind of timeframe? Is it another case of waiting indefinitely? The email reply I received stated that address was just somewhere to send requested information rather than a route by which to open up correspondence.

There is no way to call the IV Unit. The online contact form is the only way to reach them. I doubt you will get anything but a vague answer if they answer at all.
 

This is the contact page https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-information-services/contact-us-immigrant-visas/u-s-embassy-london-visa-unit-contact-form/

You have to choose the reason below to email them. The other reasons will give you a stock answer.

• My inquiry concerns immigrant visas and is not covered by information on your website.

[Gary137 7]

6 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Also, because it is a judgement call by the CO, it is difficult to say if the new evidence you submitted is sufficient or not.  To me, it seems ok, but the CO might need something more substancial.  He needs to justify to his superiors why he approved your visa when you did not submit the PCC from China.  He needs the evidence you provide to also be his evidence of his judgement call.

Yes, I’ve very much got my fingers crossed. Really, the only avenue I haven’t explored in an attempt to get this Police Check was actually flying to China which a) isn’t feasible, least of all in the current situation and b) unlikely to work.

 

I used that link you sent and yes, it’s is still saying refused. Nevertheless, it’s good to be able to have that to go to, if only to feel a little less helpless.

 

Thanks a lot for your reply

[Gary137 7]

5 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

This person’s additional information was received at the embassy on 6 Aug and changed to “issued” eleven days later. 
https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/745076-questions-abut-221g-london/

 

 

Thanks for the link, that’s reassuring, if only for an idea of the timeframe. Frankly, if I get a reply within 11 days, I’ll be delighted; it’s just being so constantly in the dark that’s hard to take.

 

I’ll follow up with the IV Unit perhaps next week if I still don’t hear anything. Great advice as ever