Suddenly Missing Visa Status in CEAC

[Steve and Nicha 35]

29 minutes ago, M&D2021 said:

I can't find what thread I saw this on, but I read earlier today a post from someone who completed their DS-160 in advance of being notified by the embassy and it was rejected or something like that. Did you complete the DS-160 in advance of getting embassy notification?

Yes, the DS-160 can be completed as soon as NVC assigns a case number

[rndz 12]

On 5/10/2021 at 9:25 AM, Steve and Nicha said:

The embassy contacted us last night and cancelled our interview.  They blamed Covid.  They said that they are making more people work from home and reducing the number of people on site.  Maybe they will cancel again on June 24. 😔

Sorry to hear that - I've been watching your timeline since it is similar to ours.  I have thought of using your idea of paying the fee before we receive packet 3 to get into the scheduling pipeline, but unlike you we don't have a plausible excuse for doing so.  Since the instructions at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-iv-kvisa.asp are pretty clear about waiting for packet 3&4, I'd be worried about some civil servant adding additional delay if the process wasn't followed.

 

Of course, those instructions also say

...

If it has been four (4) weeks since the date you received notification from NVC that they sent your petition to the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit, please submit an inquiry at visasbkkiv@state.gov to check the status of your case

...

and we know how well that has worked.

 

Good luck holding onto the rescheduled appointment.

[Steve and Nicha 35]

13 minutes ago, rndz said:

Sorry to hear that - I've been watching your timeline since it is similar to ours.  I have thought of using your idea of paying the fee before we receive packet 3 to get into the scheduling pipeline, but unlike you we don't have a plausible excuse for doing so.  Since the instructions at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-iv-kvisa.asp are pretty clear about waiting for packet 3&4, I'd be worried about some civil servant adding additional delay if the process wasn't followed.

 

Of course, those instructions also say

...

If it has been four (4) weeks since the date you received notification from NVC that they sent your petition to the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit, please submit an inquiry at visasbkkiv@state.gov to check the status of your case

...

and we know how well that has worked.

 

Good luck holding onto the rescheduled appointment.

I was able to reschedule to June 7, so I hope that one sticks.  I would not be worried so much about paying the fee, but before scheduling an interview, a question comes up on the screen asking if you received the email to schedule for an interview.  You would need to answer “yes” to proceed, which would be incorrect if it did not happen.  I answered yes because my attorney told me that he received an email telling us to schedule an interview which later turned out to be wrong.  But I had already scheduled an interview and it went to “Ready” status in the meantime.  But the interview was cancelled anyway.

[jjohnson97526 0]

I just got off the phone with NVC.  NOA2 date was 02-24-21, but Thailand consulate claims they have not received our petition.

NVC has submitted our case for a supervisor review, and they said they will email the results in a week or 2.

If you decide to call NVC, expect to be on hold for over an hour.  I'm not sure if this will do any good, but it may put my girl's mind at ease for a while.

[Steve and Nicha 35]

1 hour ago, jjohnson97526 said:

I just got off the phone with NVC.  NOA2 date was 02-24-21, but Thailand consulate claims they have not received our petition.

NVC has submitted our case for a supervisor review, and they said they will email the results in a week or 2.

If you decide to call NVC, expect to be on hold for over an hour.  I'm not sure if this will do any good, but it may put my girl's mind at ease for a while.

That is exactly what they said to us.  But it will suddenly reappear as “ready” status at some point.

[jjohnson97526 0]

That is exactly what they said to us.  But it will suddenly reappear as “ready” status at some point.

6 hours ago, Steve and Nicha said:

That is exactly what they said to us.  But it will suddenly reappear as “ready” status at some point.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.  You know exactly what we've been going through first hand, so you're aware of how a small sliver of light in a sea of black can lift one's spirits.  Idarin was so pleased that I called the NVC, and with your response to my post.

[rndz 12]

On 5/14/2021 at 12:48 PM, jjohnson97526 said:

I just got off the phone with NVC.  NOA2 date was 02-24-21, but Thailand consulate claims they have not received our petition.

NVC has submitted our case for a supervisor review, and they said they will email the results in a week or 2.

If you decide to call NVC, expect to be on hold for over an hour.  I'm not sure if this will do any good, but it may put my girl's mind at ease for a while.

NOA2 of 12/15/2020, NVC sent to BKK 2/3/2021 here.  I've called the NVC a couple of times and also received the "supervisor review" reply.  More helpful was a comment by one of the staff answering the phone that a large quantity of applications were sent as a batch and the embassy is working through them, with many not logged into the system yet.  I've also called the embassy - there's a US number that I guess transfers to Bangkok and East Coast evening hours will catch them in the morning before they're too busy.  They will only tell you they can't find the case and will not even confirm there's a backlog waiting for entry.

 

I wish there was a single system for tracking the application from start to finish.

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by rndz

[jjohnson97526 0]

33 minutes ago, rndz said:

NOA2 of 12/15/2020, NVC sent to BKK 2/3/2021 here.  I've called the NVC a couple of times and also received the "supervisor review" reply.  More helpful was a comment by one of the staff answering the phone that a large quantity of applications were sent as a batch and the embassy is working through them, with many not logged into the system yet.  I've also called the embassy - there's a US number that I guess transfers to Bangkok and East Coast evening hours will catch them in the morning before they're too busy.  They will only tell you they can't find the case and will not even confirm there's a backlog waiting for entry.

 

I wish there was a single system for tracking the application from start to finish.

 

Well, I wasn't sure of what the result of my hour-long hold would be, but now I know.  I just hope Idarin doesn't read this post right away.  Last night she went to bed with a smile on her face. 

[Steve and Nicha 35]

6 minutes ago, jjohnson97526 said:

Well, I wasn't sure of what the result of my hour-long hold would be, but now I know.  I just hope Idarin doesn't read this post right away.  Last night she went to bed with a smile on her face. 

My call to the NVC said the same thing a few weeks back regarding a supervisor.  But when the NVC sent us something in the mail, it basically confirmed it was sent to the embassy and to work through them.  I will tell you and you probably figured out that the embassy replies are useless.  They barely read the question and don’t provide an answer.  I will just say that they said our case was not received.  When I told them I was worried it was lost, they said not to worry because there is nothing that would indicate that.  So I kept waiting and I checked every morning.  Here is a new frustration when you reach the next step.  I had an interview scheduled for this Tuesday and they cancelled a week ago.  Now I was able to find an open slot for June 7 and worried they will cancel again a week before.  We waited this long and now need to deal with a fluid situation of rising covid in Thailand with no sense of when this process will end.

[jjohnson97526 0]

5 hours ago, Steve and Nicha said:

My call to the NVC said the same thing a few weeks back regarding a supervisor.  But when the NVC sent us something in the mail, it basically confirmed it was sent to the embassy and to work through them.  I will tell you and you probably figured out that the embassy replies are useless.  They barely read the question and don’t provide an answer.  I will just say that they said our case was not received.  When I told them I was worried it was lost, they said not to worry because there is nothing that would indicate that.  So I kept waiting and I checked every morning.  Here is a new frustration when you reach the next step.  I had an interview scheduled for this Tuesday and they cancelled a week ago.  Now I was able to find an open slot for June 7 and worried they will cancel again a week before.  We waited this long and now need to deal with a fluid situation of rising covid in Thailand with no sense of when this process will end.

Brother I feel for you.  What really aucks is than I'm a man of action, but in this case there is very little I can do.  My girl jumped on getting ready for her interview right after we got the NOA2.  She flew to Buriram province and had the town elder and her dad come into town for a signature on the statement of celibacy in front of what we consider a notary.  I understand these documents have a short shelf life.  It's gonna kill me if she has to do it all over again.  I'm watching your case as a harbinger of what is to come, so please know I'm rooting for you!  Sure hope it isn't that difficult going the other way when we're ready to retire....

[rndz 12]

8 hours ago, jjohnson97526 said:

... My girl jumped on getting ready for her interview right after we got the NOA2.  She flew to Buriram province and had the town elder and her dad come into town for a signature on the statement of celibacy in front of what we consider a notary.  I understand these documents have a short shelf life...

My fiancée did the same (although her local district office is just a drive).  I know she was taking her cues from information on social media, YouTube, etc. that was probably OK pre-pandemic but doesn't take into account the current processing times.  She was actually in the US with me in February when we got word that the application was in transit, so she hurried back to get through the 14 day quarantine thinking that the interview could be scheduled soon.  Seems ironic now.

 

All we can do is be patient.

[M&D2021 44]

Maybe all of us need to contact our Congressperson. Every member of Congress has a constituent services office that makes inquires on behalf of constituents with other government agencies. If enough Congresspeople start contacting the Embassy requesting greater transparency, there's a remote chance it could have some benefit.

[Steve and Nicha 35]

1 hour ago, M&D2021 said:

Maybe all of us need to contact our Congressperson. Every member of Congress has a constituent services office that makes inquires on behalf of constituents with other government agencies. If enough Congresspeople start contacting the Embassy requesting greater transparency, there's a remote chance it could have some benefit.

Yes I agree it can’t hurt.  But I know many people have been doing this and didn’t find much benefit, at least with other parts of the process.  

[M&D2021 44]

After more than 3 months since NVC sent our paperwork to the Embassy, we finally got the K1 packet today! There is hope!

[jjohnson97526 0]

2 hours ago, M&D2021 said: After more than 3 months since NVC sent our paperwork to the Embassy, we finally got the K1 packet today! There is hope! Lost and then found.  I hope everyone gets a little good news today.

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Bangkok IV Scheduling <IVSchedulingBangkok@state.gov>	Wed, May 26, 2021 at 1:59 AM
To: Bangkok IV <visasbkkiv@state.gov>
Dear K Visa Applicant,   We are pleased to inform you that U.S. Embassy Bangkok is ready to schedule your pending interview appointment and continue with the processing of your fiancé(e) I-129F petition (K visa).  Please ensure that you pay the K visa application fee (https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-niv-visafeeinfo.asp) in order to be able to schedule your interview appointment.   To schedule your K visa interview appointment, please visit this website https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/ to create your profile and log in to self-schedule your new interview appointment date. Select “Immigrant Visa,” and then “K Visa;” Click the “New Application/Schedule Appointment” tab on the left to complete your personal information and passport details; Specify your document delivery information and update receipt number; Schedule your appointment from the open slots visible in the appointment calendar.   Please follow the instructions provided on this website carefully.  If you have any questions about how to schedule your K visa appointment or submit an expedited appointment request, please contact the U.S. Visa Service Call Center at support-thailand@ustraveldocs.com or call 02-105-4110, Monday to Friday between 08:00-16:00 hrs.   After you successfully schedule your visa interview appointment, please click on “Printable Version” and print 2 copies of the “Appointment Confirmation” page.  One copy is to show the hospital for your medical examination (if you need to obtain a new medical examination), and you will present the second copy to the Greeter upon your arrival at the Embassy on the day of your visa interview.   Please note your visa expiration date is the same expiration date of your medical examination.  Therefore, please check the expiration date of your current medical examination.  If your medical examination occurred between January 1 and June 30, 2020, we are authorized to extend your medical examination date for one additional month.  If your medical examination has expired, you must renew your Medical Examination.  If your medical examination will expire prior to your new visa interview appointment date, or prior to your planned travel date, we suggest you renew your medical examination.  We need 1-2 weeks to complete the processing of an approved visa case.   If you plan to obtain or renew your Medical Examination, please allow at least 10 business days before the date you intend to select as your new visa interview date on the expedited appointment calendar.   On the interview day, please bring original/certified documents including a set of photocopied documents and evidence of relationship.  We will return original documents, excluding the passport, to you after the interview.  You can review required documents listed in Packet 4 Appointment Packet for K Visas (English | Thai), located at the Immigrant Visa Section of the U.S. Embassy’s website https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/packets/.  If you have any inquiries, please contact visasbkkiv@state.gov.