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

[ak47 32]

2 hours ago, Gha said:

Hi

@ak47 I am just asking do you receive case update after June .I know you received mail response 

Thank you 

I have not received any update except for the template response everytime I send an email. 

 

Have completed 10 months since the interview so..not sure what's going on. 

 

It would be nice to know if any of the FEB interviewees received any response.

[Leo The Great 141]

11 hours ago, Denokarter said:

If they take your passport, does that automatically mean you’re approved? They told me I’m tentatively approved because the system is slow and he can’t give the 100% at the moment but they took my passport and said it will be mailed back with the visa…

yes - provided you are not flagged by the system that CO use to check for  SOA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Advisory_Opinionn) against your application

You may check the status of your visa issuance using following link

https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?App=IV

Edited January 21 by Leo The Great

[EternalWait 77]

Some fascinating insights into the DS5535 vetting process:  https://redeaglelaw.com/blog-1/f/administrative-processing-backlog-of-66000-visa-applicants : 

1- "Among the revelations from the declaration, only 37 State Department analysts are responsible for the national security vetting of DS-5535 responses, causing a backlog to explode. Currently, 66,000 visa applicants are stuck in administrative processing."
2- "Secondly, Mr. Wu declares that “SAO requests can be neither addressed nor resolved in a first-in-first-out basis.” This revelation exposes the lie that government attorneys have been consistently telling federal judges across the US: that visa applicants in AP who are filing mandamus lawsuits are attempting line-skipping in front of others in a queue or line. There is no queue."

3- "generally, security vetting is concluded in 75 percent of visa cases requiring additional security vetting in approximately 120 days. Security vetting is concluded in over 90 percent of all cases requiring additional security vetting in less than 24 months."

I encourage ppl to read the report in its entirety.

Edited January 21 by EternalWait

[APRIL2023 59]

18 hours ago, Superluminal said:

Just for clarification, when you say unsolicited update, are you referring to the case last updated date on CEAC?

Yes

[APRIL2023 59]

35 minutes ago, EternalWait said:

Some fascinating insights into the DS5535 vetting process:  https://redeaglelaw.com/blog-1/f/administrative-processing-backlog-of-66000-visa-applicants : 

1- "Among the revelations from the declaration, only 37 State Department analysts are responsible for the national security vetting of DS-5535 responses, causing a backlog to explode. Currently, 66,000 visa applicants are stuck in administrative processing."
2- "Secondly, Mr. Wu declares that “SAO requests can be neither addressed nor resolved in a first-in-first-out basis.” This revelation exposes the lie that government attorneys have been consistently telling federal judges across the US: that visa applicants in AP who are filing mandamus lawsuits are attempting line-skipping in front of others in a queue or line. There is no queue."

3- "generally, security vetting is concluded in 75 percent of visa cases requiring additional security vetting in approximately 120 days. Security vetting is concluded in over 90 percent of all cases requiring additional security vetting in less than 24 months."

I encourage ppl to read the report in its entirety.

Thank you for sharing this. Probably the only place that I’ve read so far that explained fully what exactly happened with the whole 221g/AP/DS5535 bullshit. 
 

I more I read, the more angry I am. *vent alert*. I asked the CO what have triggered AP and he literally did a 🤷🏼 as he thought that my case was a straight forward case. #######

 

question - was fingerprint taken at the interview? I don’t recall mine being taken. By the CO or would it be with the first clerk you talk to who collected the documents?

[Leo The Great 141]

1 hour ago, EternalWait said:

Some fascinating insights into the DS5535 vetting process:  https://redeaglelaw.com/blog-1/f/administrative-processing-backlog-of-66000-visa-applicants : 

1- "Among the revelations from the declaration, only 37 State Department analysts are responsible for the national security vetting of DS-5535 responses, causing a backlog to explode. Currently, 66,000 visa applicants are stuck in administrative processing."
2- "Secondly, Mr. Wu declares that “SAO requests can be neither addressed nor resolved in a first-in-first-out basis.” This revelation exposes the lie that government attorneys have been consistently telling federal judges across the US: that visa applicants in AP who are filing mandamus lawsuits are attempting line-skipping in front of others in a queue or line. There is no queue."

3- "generally, security vetting is concluded in 75 percent of visa cases requiring additional security vetting in approximately 120 days. Security vetting is concluded in over 90 percent of all cases requiring additional security vetting in less than 24 months."

I encourage ppl to read the report in its entirety.

There is some hope in term of speeding up AP in 2024 for immigrant visas (Not sure if it benefits new applicants or applicants already in AP) in the following paragraph:

17. The Department has been actively involved in working with the National Vetting Center to shift security vetting of visa applicants from the KFE vetting system discussed above to the National Vetting Center. The Department transferred the national security vetting of nonimmigrant visa applicants to the National Vetting Center in October 2022, with immigrant visa vetting to follow sometime in 2024. The Department anticipates that moving security vetting to the National Vetting Center will create efficiencies in the vetting process that will ultimately benefit all visa applicants and also enhance border security by providing more robust screening of applicants.

Edited January 21 by Leo The Great

[Ds553513 16]

Hi

@ak47 thank you for response.i am in same boat .I did not got any response 

i am asking when you send a mail .your case update date change or not .because I am checking in sheet your last case update 1 June 

thank you 

 

[Leo The Great 141]

1 hour ago, EternalWait said:

Some fascinating insights into the DS5535 vetting process:  https://redeaglelaw.com/blog-1/f/administrative-processing-backlog-of-66000-visa-applicants : 

1- "Among the revelations from the declaration, only 37 State Department analysts are responsible for the national security vetting of DS-5535 responses, causing a backlog to explode. Currently, 66,000 visa applicants are stuck in administrative processing."
2- "Secondly, Mr. Wu declares that “SAO requests can be neither addressed nor resolved in a first-in-first-out basis.” This revelation exposes the lie that government attorneys have been consistently telling federal judges across the US: that visa applicants in AP who are filing mandamus lawsuits are attempting line-skipping in front of others in a queue or line. There is no queue."

3- "generally, security vetting is concluded in 75 percent of visa cases requiring additional security vetting in approximately 120 days. Security vetting is concluded in over 90 percent of all cases requiring additional security vetting in less than 24 months."

I encourage ppl to read the report in its entirety.

Some of the agencies mentioned in the blog may also be involved in screening (in addition to visa applicants) of  large number of immigrants (on priority basis) crossing borders illegally before registering them.

Edited January 21 by Leo The Great

[ShawnK 82]

52 minutes ago, APRIL2023 said:

Thank you for sharing this. Probably the only place that I’ve read so far that explained fully what exactly happened with the whole 221g/AP/DS5535 bullshit. 
 

I more I read, the more angry I am. *vent alert*. I asked the CO what have triggered AP and he literally did a 🤷🏼 as he thought that my case was a straight forward case. #######

 

question - was fingerprint taken at the interview? I don’t recall mine being taken. By the CO or would it be with the first clerk you talk to who collected the documents?

To answer your question - yes, your fingerprints must have been taken by the first officer, the one that checks your documents. You then sit back down and get called up again for the actual interview. That's how Montreal does it.

 

Bull*** indeed,  seriously, this is  monstrous level bureaucracy. Utterly insane, filling out endless forms for nothing. 

 

 

 

 

[Pearljamm 65]

On 1/20/2024 at 11:34 AM, APRIL2023 said:

Got an unsolicited status updated on Thursday. Hopefully that’s a good sign. It has been a rollercoaster of 10 months waiting. 
 

I emailed my ds5535 info in after not hearing from them for three weeks post interview. I followed up to confirm receipt and they responded yes and provided date when info was entered into their system. 
 

For peeps who asked about emailing congressman for help. I tried before, congress, senate and even White House. No help. Congresswoman was a waste of time, her representative made it sound like they can help to influence process but literally ghosted on us after 4 months. We were referred to reps in DoS by the White House and got a “personalized” letter response… but pretty much saying nothing can be done. 
 

For those who received extension request after filing WOM, how much extra do lawyers charge? I inquired Goldstein but they cannot give me a straight answer. 

 

Same here, I got an unsolicited status update on friday! and we both had our interview around April, I rather not get my hopes up but any April received unsolicited status update on CEAC?

[Inveigh 69]

16 hours ago, Pearljamm said:

Same here, I got an unsolicited status update on friday! and we both had our interview around April, I rather not get my hopes up but any April received unsolicited status update on CEAC?

Good to see the March/April 2023 interviews are finally getting some love. As an May 2023 Interviewee, this gives me hope.

Stay strong Montreal 🙏

Edited January 22 by Inveigh

[ak47 32]

16 hours ago, Pearljamm said:

Same here, I got an unsolicited status update on friday! and we both had our interview around April, I rather not get my hopes up but any April received unsolicited status update on CEAC?

Was your interview in the end of March or April ?

 

We had ours in March but did not receive any update...

[Inveigh 69]

29 minutes ago, ak47 said:

Was your interview in the end of March or April ?

 

We had ours in March but did not receive any update...

Ours was in Early May' 23. You can see my timeline on my page but this thread is about Montreal and I dont want to derail and have my comment removed. I do have a forum for 5535 on my page that does have a ton of useful tips for anyone that needs it though for any country. 

[ak47 32]

55 minutes ago, Inveigh said:

Ours was in Early May' 23. You can see my timeline on my page but this thread is about Montreal and I dont want to derail and have my comment removed. I do have a forum for 5535 on my page that does have a ton of useful tips for anyone that needs it though for any country. 

Your country of embassy shows as Iran so the status updates may not apply to Montreal Applicants..

[Daft_Cat 136]

21 hours ago, EternalWait said:

1- "Among the revelations from the declaration, only 37 State Department analysts are responsible for the national security vetting of DS-5535 responses, causing a backlog to explode. Currently, 66,000 visa applicants are stuck in administrative processing."

Hope fading. 

 

Quote

3- "generally, security vetting is concluded in 75 percent of visa cases requiring additional security vetting in approximately 120 days. Security vetting is concluded in over 90 percent of all cases requiring additional security vetting in less than 24 months."

 

That 75% figure feels off. Maybe it's dated.