The dreaded DS-5535 thread for Montreal. Post here and support each other (split)

[From_CAN_2_US 1,100]

27 minutes ago, Hamlet said:

Just received my tracking number email. Status still showing refused. Hopefully it’s a mistake and has the visa stamped inside it. 
 

I will update when I receive it and if there is a 221g or ds5535 with it. 

I really hope it is a mistake and your passport arrives with your visa.

[Hamlet 122]

35 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

I really hope it is a mistake and your passport arrives with your visa.

That’s the best I can hope for as my status was already in Final Processing before the refusal.

[Federico 147]

1 hour ago, Hamlet said:

That’s the best I can hope for as my status was already in Final Processing before the refusal.

Let’s hope so, because the DS it’s a little bit complicated, has been almost 40 days for me.

[candyg 33]

Hello everyone, I am new here. I'm happy this thread exists and I read basically all the posts so far.  I too got the DS5535 after my interview on November 3rd, 2021. So far no updates still says "refused" and I submitted the DS5535 via email on Nov. 9th. But just out of curiosity, has anyone received their passport when the agent provided the 221G form? Because, I got my passport back. He also got me to scan my fingerprints to make sure I will be truthful in the information that I provide on the DS5535. Has this happened to anyone else?

[Danii 312]

5 minutes ago, candyg said:

Hello everyone, I am new here. I'm happy this thread exists and I read basically all the posts so far.  I too got the DS5535 after my interview on November 3rd, 2021. So far no updates still says "refused" and I submitted the DS5535 via email on Nov. 9th. But just out of curiosity, has anyone received their passport when the agent provided the 221G form? Because, I got my passport back. He also got me to scan my fingerprints to make sure I will be truthful in the information that I provide on the DS5535. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi Candyg, glad you found this thread! I believe everyone gets their fingerprints taken, even if you're not refused/asked to submit DS5535 (unless for some reason your fingerprints were taken twice? That would be unusual). As for the passport, some of us got it back and some of us left it at the consulate. For me, they were going to give it back to me but they also said they could keep it it if I didn't need it urgently. This doesn't make a big difference in how fast your case will be processed. I've seen some cases where the passports were returned getting approved faster than cases in which the passport was kept and visa versa. When they're ready to issue your visa, they will send you instructions on how to send your passport back to them. I've seen this take anywhere between 1-3 days at other consulates. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Danii

[candyg 33]

Thank you, Danii.  Yes I read your post about asking them to keep it. I did not know that was an option and didn't think of that at the time otherwise I would have done the same thing. Bu yes, I scanned my fingerprints twice. Once at the first window where they ask you for your documents then again when the agent asked me to be truthful and that was like a "signature" that what he called it. Also, since the Montreal office closed down every time there was a lockdown, I am nervous this new variant will close the offices again and this will take even longer. Let's hope this is not the case!

[Danii 312]

Just now, candyg said:

Thank you, Danii.  Yes I read your post about asking them to keep it. I did not know that was an option and didn't think of that at the time otherwise I would have done the same thing. Bu yes, I scanned my fingerprints twice. Once at the first window where they ask you for your documents then again when the agent asked me to be truthful and that was like a "signature" that what he called it. Also, since the Montreal office closed down every time there was a lockdown, I am nervous this new variant will close the offices again and this will take even longer. Let's hope this is not the case!

No problem! That's interesting, did anyone else have to scan their fingerprints twice? I wonder if this is new protocol/or if it just depends on the officer who was interviewing you 🤔 I think/hope it doesnt make a bit difference. Ah man, I really hope it won't be too bad! I guess the bright side right now is that the interview backlog has decreased a lot, so even if things slow down because of COVID, maybe they will have more time to work on our cases?

 

I hope you don't mind me asking (you don't need to answer) but do you have any ties to other countries/a career in STEM/extensive travel history? There doesn't seem like there's any clear trend as to why we've all been selected, but these are good indications. 

[candyg 33]

28 minutes ago, Danii said:

No problem! That's interesting, did anyone else have to scan their fingerprints twice? I wonder if this is new protocol/or if it just depends on the officer who was interviewing you 🤔 I think/hope it doesnt make a bit difference. Ah man, I really hope it won't be too bad! I guess the bright side right now is that the interview backlog has decreased a lot, so even if things slow down because of COVID, maybe they will have more time to work on our cases?

 

I hope you don't mind me asking (you don't need to answer) but do you have any ties to other countries/a career in STEM/extensive travel history? There doesn't seem like there's any clear trend as to why we've all been selected, but these are good indications. 

Yeah no worries. I read a lot of posts from people with STEM and people from other countries or people who are Canadian as far as they know and still were given DS-5535. I came to Canada as a baby and was born in Kenya. Been a citizen since a child so I lived in Canada my entire life. I actually went back to Kenya one time since leaving and it was in 2019 for two weeks. I think this is what may have caused me to get the DS5535. But I am a social worker so no STEM and went on vacation to Europe but my traveled to the USA over a dozen times to visit my husband. 

[Danii 312]

44 minutes ago, candyg said:

Yeah no worries. I read a lot of posts from people with STEM and people from other countries or people who are Canadian as far as they know and still were given DS-5535. I came to Canada as a baby and was born in Kenya. Been a citizen since a child so I lived in Canada my entire life. I actually went back to Kenya one time since leaving and it was in 2019 for two weeks. I think this is what may have caused me to get the DS5535. But I am a social worker so no STEM and went on vacation to Europe but my traveled to the USA over a dozen times to visit my husband. 

It's possible, unfortunately. It sucks that there's no real way to tell. Thank you for replying though! I hope everyone can enjoy their weekend for now, wishing for some good news next week

[DrJanko10 101]

21 hours ago, Danii said:

Users in the other group got tracking numbers an hour ago, so I'm guessing no approvals here today? Hoping for some good news in the upcoming weeks, hopefully before the holidays...

Sadly no updates on my end  Sunday will be day 60 since interview, so I am writing an email to the consulate on Monday asking for an update. I expect it will be a generic reply, but maybe a Christmas miracle will happen.

My wife has also reached out to both her congressman and the senator's office. It's taking a while, but we've been told that a case worker has been actively working on it from the senator's office, and the congressman's office said they will call if there is any progress.

We've also spoken to 3 different lawyers and they all said the same thing: that we should wait until around the 6 month mark after interview before filling a WOM. We have appointments with 2 more around the 3 month mark, just for additional confirmation, if nothing changes by then.

 

This has been unfathomably difficult for all of us. I will continue to keep you posted on any developments from my end. 

 

Not sure if i've ever mentioned this theory of mine, but the more people get issued DSs, the more I believe it could be accurate. Since they are interviewing so many people, they may be issuing DSs to any case that requires a bit more information or a closer look. That way they can focus their resources on the "easier" cases, and continue working through the backlog at a fast pace. Thoughts?

[DrJanko10 101]

14 hours ago, Danii said:

No problem! That's interesting, did anyone else have to scan their fingerprints twice? I wonder if this is new protocol/or if it just depends on the officer who was interviewing you 🤔 I think/hope it doesnt make a bit difference.

I had my fingerprints taken twice as well. I didn't think anything of, I just assumed it was standard procedure.

[Randomwalk 20]

Hi All, 

My husband is sponsoring me from Florida. I had my interview on December 10th and was handed back my passport and 221g. I was told questionnaire will be sent via email however no information was provided on when I should expect an email. My finger prints were taken at third window as well. I am living in Canada for last 22 years ( moved to Canada in 1998 from Pakistan ) no police record, work for bank at the director level, have masters in financial economics from Canadian university . No history of any problems crossing the border…no  idea why is happening to me 😂!  
I was so sad and searching the web for answers led me to you guys. Thank you for your posts and support) 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Randomwalk

[Danii 312]

1 hour ago, DrJanko10 said:

 Not sure if i've ever mentioned this theory of mine, but the more people get issued DSs, the more I believe it could be accurate. Since they are interviewing so many people, they may be issuing DSs to any case that requires a bit more information or a closer look. That way they can focus their resources on the "easier" cases, and continue working through the backlog at a fast pace. Thoughts?

I've actually been thinking the exact same thing. I think it's also possible that some DS forms are handed out randomly, as maybe they cannot actually process as many cases as they're interviewing? Honestly, the backlog at Montreal is by far the worst anywhere in the world, I don't think I've seen any other consulates making people wait 11-12 months. I'm sure they were getting a lot of complaints/congressional inquiries. It's possible that they bumped up the monthly # of interviews just to stay out of potential trouble, even if they didn't have means (fully trained officers) to do so. I'm very sure that if most of us got interviews before the backlog started reducing, we would be approved on the spot. 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Danii

[Hawk Riders 814]

finally came over here to check out the 5535 discussion... looks like @OG Fan is the only one who's made it out of the woods so far?

I find myself wondering whether maybe applicants should proactively complete and submit this thing so it's reviewed long before interview time. I remember when it first came up I was preparing it for our packet and then it was revoked, so never gave it another thought. But as we all know, things change, and its return to policy seems to be affecting people quite negatively.

I will be adding a spreadsheet column to our data to also track who's been issued this onerous burden shortly.

[Danii 312]

8 minutes ago, Hawk Riders said:

finally came over here to check out the 5535 discussion... looks like @OG Fan is the only one who's made it out of the woods so far?

I find myself wondering whether maybe applicants should proactively complete and submit this thing so it's reviewed long before interview time. I remember when it first came up I was preparing it for our packet and then it was revoked, so never gave it another thought. But as we all know, things change, and its return to policy seems to be affecting people quite negatively.

I will be adding a spreadsheet column to our data to also track who's been issued this onerous burden shortly.

Yes, I also believe it should be filled out in advance so that it can be submitted asap. I wish that when the officer told me that I'd be refused, I could just whip out the form and give it to them 😂 Montreal sends the form as text through email, but it looks exactly like the form available online. I wonder if loading it onto NVC before the interview would affect your case though? That I'm not sure. 

 

In the spreadsheet, can you track who's been asked for additional information? I think so far, I'm the only one who's been asked to submit my resume/experience in China. I'm curious to know if additional information affects processing time. If you need any assistance with tracking this data, please let me know, I'd love to help! 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Danii