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

[ice-qube 648]

So I was emailed what is apparently form DS-5535 this morning. It includes more or less repetitive questions from DS-260 but also then asks for travel history for 15 years (!). 

 

It also asks this: "Have you ever held a passport other than the passport listed in your visa application?"

 

Now, what is the right answer when you have only ever had one country's passport (Canada), but the one that expired a few years ago before renewing had a different passport number? I mean, it is technically the same passport, or not?

 

 

[ice-qube 648]

1 hour ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

From what I gathered from reading about it, this DS-5535 was introduced by the trump administration in 2017, as an "extreme vetting" measure. It is meant to scrutinise flagged applicants for potential security threats. The reason people with education and jobs in engineering, technology, and sciences (such as chemistry/ mathematics/ biology) are targetted, is because of their skills in areas that pose security risk - building of chemical/ biological weapons, hacking cyber-security etc.

 

The form asks for details of your travels for last 15 years and how they were funded. If they were funded by a govt the US doesn't like, I guess it is suspicious. The forms asks for details of your family, and they look into all of their history and anything sketchy there. The form asks for all your social media information and look into what you post and possibly what your friends post. Remember this doesn't have to be just "Anti-American" sentiment. Extreme right wing domestic terrorism is recognised as America's biggest threat right now.

 

Scary thing is, you could be completely innocent. You could be just a Math professor who travelled a lot for pleasure or to give lectures at conferences, and could be flagged for "extreme vetting."

 

There is a forum here on VJ dedicated to DS-5535, and people from places like Pakistan have literally waited 4 years to get approval after being put in AP with DS-5535. I am all for vetting immigrants for security reasons, but wish the process didn't take that long...

 

 

well, I sure as hell hope it won't be 4 years to get approved...

[Ontarkie 14,170]

2 hours ago, ice-qube said:

So I was emailed what is apparently form DS-5535 this morning. It includes more or less repetitive questions from DS-260 but also then asks for travel history for 15 years (!). 

 

It also asks this: "Have you ever held a passport other than the passport listed in your visa application?"

 

Now, what is the right answer when you have only ever had one country's passport (Canada), but the one that expired a few years ago before renewing had a different passport number? I mean, it is technically the same passport, or not?

 

 

I would have noted it. 

[ice-qube 648]

6 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

I would have noted it. 

So basically you think I should put every passport number I ever had? Canada changes the passport number entirely whenever you renew...

[Ontarkie 14,170]

20 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

So basically you think I should put every passport number I ever had? Canada changes the passport number entirely whenever you renew...

No I said I would have noted it.

Telling them you have had more then one Canadian passport if you knew the number add it if not, you say that.

 

It's one of those cover your bases answer.

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

3 hours ago, ice-qube said:

So I was emailed what is apparently form DS-5535 this morning. It includes more or less repetitive questions from DS-260 but also then asks for travel history for 15 years (!). 

 

It also asks this: "Have you ever held a passport other than the passport listed in your visa application?"

 

Now, what is the right answer when you have only ever had one country's passport (Canada), but the one that expired a few years ago before renewing had a different passport number? I mean, it is technically the same passport, or not?

 

 

I am filling out the Canadian citizenship application right now, and there is a question there that asks you to list details of all the passports I have held in teh last 5 years. This includes expired passports from the same country. 

 

Going by the same logic, I would say you should list details of all the passports you have had in your life.

[jercanuck 11]

1 minute ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

I am filling out the Canadian citizenship application right now, and there is a question there that asks you to list details of all the passports I have held in teh last 5 years. This includes expired passports from the same country. 

 

Going by the same logic, I would say you should list details of all the passports you have had in your life.

But in Canada at least, they keep the expired ones unless you specifically ask for them to return it to you.  So, one could argue that is not possible to do. 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

3 hours ago, ice-qube said:

well, I sure as hell hope it won't be 4 years to get approved...

4 years is extreme. Most people get through in 1 or 2 years. But the reason it takes that long for most people who are given the DS-5535 is because they hail from or have history in countries such as Pakistan, which have a less than rigorous record system. This makes it difficult for the US govt to procure info from them in a timely manner.

 

I think (without first hand statistics) that for people with history in only Canada, US and most Western countries, it may only take a few weeks to process.

Edited October 27, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

2 minutes ago, jercanuck said:

But in Canada at least, they keep the expired ones unless you specifically ask for them to return it to you.  So, one could argue that is not possible to do. 

Interesting, because Canada even asks citizenship applicants to submit photocopies of every page of all passports (expired and unexpired) held in the last 5 years.

 

I remember needing to submit for past 10 years for my permanent residency applciation.

Edited October 27, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[ice-qube 648]

What about the travel history? Are we really supposed to put in *addresses* of places we went for this??

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

11 minutes ago, ice-qube said:

What about the travel history? Are we really supposed to put in *addresses* of places we went for this??

Provide as much information as you can remember or dig out from old emails/ documents.

Edited October 28, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[ice-qube 648]

Just now, From_CAN_2_US said:

Provide as much information as you can remember or dig out from old emails/ documents.

Like they want hotel addresses if I stayed in them, etc?

 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

Just now, ice-qube said:

Like they want hotel addresses if I stayed in them, etc?

 

Yes, you are expected to do so. If you do not have the information, explain that you do not remember and lost records because it is from too long ago.

 

Yeah, it is a painful form to fill...

[ice-qube 648]

7 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Yes, you are expected to do so. If you do not have the information, explain that you do not remember and lost records because it is from too long ago.

 

Yeah, it is a painful form to fill...

This is garbage.

[Ontarkie 14,170]

~~As he tittle says it lets keep the  DS-5535 discussion here. It's newish and not much known why or who ends up with one. Keeping to this thread will help each other who is going through this while keeping the DQ thread on topic.~~