The dreaded DS-5535 thread for Montreal. Post here and support each other (PART 2)

[addpeace 40]

1 minute ago, F3MTL said:

@Anyone?

Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov  We sent questions to this one. It took two weeks for them to tell us that we could request my husbands passport back without it affecting the AP process, but that is was at the discretion of the border if he could still cross on his student visa. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Why cant our government services talk to each other. Canada immigration and rules were so much easier to understand. 

[LAMA9 118]

1 hour ago, F3MTL said:

@Anyone?

I think the only way to get a hold of them now is through the email they are communicating back to you with: 

Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov

 

Did you send your documents through the Montreal consulate delivery courier?  If so, you should have received a confirmation receipt and there would have been a tracking number you were given at the post office to ensure it was received by them.  

[F3MTL 9]

1 hour ago, addpeace said:

Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov  We sent questions to this one. It took two weeks for them to tell us that we could request my husbands passport back without it affecting the AP process, but that is was at the discretion of the border if he could still cross on his student visa. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Why cant our government services talk to each other. Canada immigration and rules were so much easier to understand. 

Oh wow, that’s a long time. The CO told my dad that he could contact that email as well on the white paper he received at the interview, but it says not to inquire about recipient of documents, which is why I was hesitant to send an email to that email address to ask if they received our DS-5535 responses.

 

We haven’t requested the passport yet, but it’s been almost two months since the interview.

[F3MTL 9]

20 minutes ago, LAMA9 said:

I think the only way to get a hold of them now is through the email they are communicating back to you with: 

Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov

 

Did you send your documents through the Montreal consulate delivery courier?  If so, you should have received a confirmation receipt and there would have been a tracking number you were given at the post office to ensure it was received by them.  

Thanks for sending that email. We didn’t send anything via courier, we actually replied to an email that asked us to answer the DS-5535 questions. After replying, we got an automated response saying they would get back to us within a couple weeks but we never heard back. About two days after replying to the DS-5535 email, we responded to our reply since we forgot to add some information. Ever since that email, we haven’t heard anything back. 

 

Is Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov the correct email to follow up if they received our DS-5535 responses? The paper that we received at the interview says we could send case-related inquiries to that email, but it also said that the email should NOT be used for receipt of documents which is why I was hesitant to email it. 

 

 

[LAMA9 118]

20 minutes ago, F3MTL said:

Thanks for sending that email. We didn’t send anything via courier, we actually replied to an email that asked us to answer the DS-5535 questions. After replying, we got an automated response saying they would get back to us within a couple weeks but we never heard back. About two days after replying to the DS-5535 email, we responded to our reply since we forgot to add some information. Ever since that email, we haven’t heard anything back. 

 

Is Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov the correct email to follow up if they received our DS-5535 responses? The paper that we received at the interview says we could send case-related inquiries to that email, but it also said that the email should NOT be used for receipt of documents which is why I was hesitant to email it. 

 

 

Based on the experiences of everyone in this group, you may or may not receive an email saying they received your email.  I for one, never received one.   And you likely won't hear back from them in a very long time (also based on the entire experience of everyone in this group).  I am so sorry you are in this club, the DS-5535 club that no one signed up for.  

 

This spreadsheet is not kept up to date  as far as I am aware, and much of the data in column D is incorrect (the date should be a couple of days after the interview date) but it can give you a good idea of how long people have been waiting for - there was some weekly/monthly movement before March 2022, but then no one that we are aware of has been approved out of DS-5535 since without filing a WOM.  There are many of us filing those suits now, which seems to be the only way to get out of DS-5535 in Montreal.  If you have not heard anything after 4 months of submitting your DS-5535, I would consider contacting a WOM lawyer unless you are prepared to wait which is almost a year for some of us now.  

 

This is hard to hear, I know and perhaps you may be one of the lucky ones, but the data shows those are non existent since March, so it's better to be prepared for what you are potentially up against.  

 

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GySrwbar5E0dzY4DCJ8s0eagm1up6TxedDBTPYiOlJw/edit#gid=1745669763

[F3MTL 9]

1 minute ago, LAMA9 said:

Based on the experiences of everyone in this group, you may or may not receive an email saying they received your email.  I for one, never received one.   And you likely won't hear back from them in a very long time (also based on the entire experience of everyone in this group).  I am so sorry you are in this club, the DS-5535 club that no one signed up for.  

 

This spreadsheet is not kept up to date  as far as I am aware, and much of the data in column D is incorrect (the date should be a couple of days after the interview date) but it can give you a good idea of how long people have been waiting for - there was some weekly/monthly movement before March 2022, but then no one that we are aware of has been approved out of DS-5535 since without filing a WOM.  There are many of us filing those suits now, which seems to be the only way to get out of DS-5535 in Montreal.  If you have not heard anything after 4 months of submitting your DS-5535, I would consider contacting a WOM lawyer unless you are prepared to wait which is almost a year for some of us now.  

 

This is hard to hear, I know and perhaps you may be one of the lucky ones, but the data shows those are non existent since March, so it's better to be prepared for what you are potentially up against.  

 

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GySrwbar5E0dzY4DCJ8s0eagm1up6TxedDBTPYiOlJw/edit#gid=1745669763

Thank you for this. It gives me a better idea of what to expect. I guess not everyone will receive a reply. 

 

Will keep an eye out on the status of the case over the next couple months, and go from there. Thanks for sharing the spreadsheet by the way, definitely going to save it.

[El4moon 0]

Hi,

I went for the interview (IR1/CR1) on Aug 15th.

I received DS5535 the day after and have been asked to send it back along with my resume and research history. 

[ice-qube 649]

48 minutes ago, El4moon said:

Hi,

I went for the interview (IR1/CR1) on Aug 15th.

I received DS5535 the day after and have been asked to send it back along with my resume and research history. 

May your stay in this purgatory be short.

 

Today was 300 days since submitting my DS-5535 and 303 days in AP. 

[NykahDeah 71]

8 hours ago, ice-qube said:

May your stay in this purgatory be short.

 

Today was 300 days since submitting my DS-5535 and 303 days in AP. 

I know you were looking to do the WoM on your own.. found a post on Reddit that might be helpful for asking questions so thought I’d share:

 

 

Good luck. 

[Filcan 7]

Question regarding remedical. I was instructed to submit a new medical as mine expired. 
 

I’m done with the re medical (in Toronto). Do I need to mail the medical results to US consulate in Montreal or is this done online by the panel physician?

[WishIWasntHere 53]

21 minutes ago, Filcan said:

Question regarding remedical. I was instructed to submit a new medical as mine expired. 
 

I’m done with the re medical (in Toronto). Do I need to mail the medical results to US consulate in Montreal or is this done online by the panel physician?

We were told to mail in a hard copy via email with a shipping label, I think the doctor also does so electronically. Just fyi because of monkey pox results are taking over a week to process.

[Hawk Riders 814]

17 hours ago, El4moon said:

Hi,

I went for the interview (IR1/CR1) on Aug 15th.

I received DS5535 the day after and have been asked to send it back along with my resume and research history. 

please complete your VJ timeline here

https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=429115

[Filcan 7]

3 minutes ago, WishIWasntHere said:

We were told to mail in a hard copy via email with a shipping label, I think the doctor also does so electronically. Just fyi because of monkey pox results are taking over a week to process.

Thanks. I wasn’t given a copy of the result. Office of the doctor said they sent the result electronically. That was 2 weeks ago, I haven’t heard from the consulate sincd then. Do you have an idea how long they’d issue a visa once they receive the new medical?

[WishIWasntHere 53]

1 hour ago, Filcan said:

Thanks. I wasn’t given a copy of the result. Office of the doctor said they sent the result electronically. That was 2 weeks ago, I haven’t heard from the consulate sincd then. Do you have an idea how long they’d issue a visa once they receive the new medical?

No idea how long it will take past that. They should have emailed you a result at the doctors office? Anyway, if the consulate didn’t instruct you to send a hard copy, I wouldn’t worry. We received an email with the request for our second medical that instructed us to send the hard copy. So we will. 

[LAMA9 118]

1 hour ago, Filcan said:

Thanks. I wasn’t given a copy of the result. Office of the doctor said they sent the result electronically. That was 2 weeks ago, I haven’t heard from the consulate sincd then. Do you have an idea how long they’d issue a visa once they receive the new medical?

When was your interview @Filcan and what visa category?