Calling everyone going thru Islamabad Embassy, version 2.0

[MaryandMian 1]

Waheed has tried many times to call the embassy. Even when he does get through he is put on hold a very long time and then, they just hang up. In my opinion, it is completely pointless to try anymore. We write emails and they send us the same response each time .... if they chose to respond. This embassy seems to be so completely out of control in more ways than one. Very unprofessional !! I realize I did not give you an answer to your question browneyedgirl.... Sorry, just venting

peace

~kris

Kris,

Here is an excerpt from one of many replies that others have received about contacting Islamabad.

1. I appeared at the U.S Embassy for my interview. I was told that

administrative processing is required for my case. What does this mean?

Administrative Processing is a standard procedure

required by law for visa applications. It is a normal process and it

does not mean anything is wrong with your case. The processing is not

completed here at the U.S. Embassy and we have no control over the

processing time, nor any influence on the processing. Some cases take

longer to process than others; this does not necessarily mean anything

is wrong with your case. Once the administrative processing has been

completed, we will continue with your visa application. We will contact

you to let you know when your case is complete, and will ask you to

return your passport if we have not retained it. Once we have printed

your visa, we will return your passport along with the visa packet via

our approved courier. If it has been more than 10 months since your

interview, please e-mail Pakivquery@state.gov with the date of your

interview and case number. However, please note that routine

administrative processing questions for cases less than 10 months will

not be answered.

Stay positive and hopefully your AP will be finished soon.

Mary

[Waheed and Kris 0]

Waheed has tried many times to call the embassy. Even when he does get through he is put on hold a very long time and then, they just hang up. In my opinion, it is completely pointless to try anymore. We write emails and they send us the same response each time .... if they chose to respond. This embassy seems to be so completely out of control in more ways than one. Very unprofessional !! I realize I did not give you an answer to your question browneyedgirl.... Sorry, just venting

peace

~kris

Kris,

Here is an excerpt from one of many replies that others have received about contacting Islamabad.

1. I appeared at the U.S Embassy for my interview. I was told that

administrative processing is required for my case. What does this mean?

Administrative Processing is a standard procedure

required by law for visa applications. It is a normal process and it

does not mean anything is wrong with your case. The processing is not

completed here at the U.S. Embassy and we have no control over the

processing time, nor any influence on the processing. Some cases take

longer to process than others; this does not necessarily mean anything

is wrong with your case. Once the administrative processing has been

completed, we will continue with your visa application. We will contact

you to let you know when your case is complete, and will ask you to

return your passport if we have not retained it. Once we have printed

your visa, we will return your passport along with the visa packet via

our approved courier. If it has been more than 10 months since your

interview, please e-mail Pakivquery@state.gov with the date of your

interview and case number. However, please note that routine

administrative processing questions for cases less than 10 months will

not be answered.

Stay positive and hopefully your AP will be finished soon.

Mary

Thank you Mary .... Just having a difficult time right now

[KandD 1]

Yep same thing here. Thats why i was wondering if there is a better number. I have read where some have called the embassy and got thur. Just wondering if they are calling another number.

I don't think there is a separate number people are calling. I always use +(92-51) 208-2700. Sometimes it takes a while to get through. Last time I tried calling, it took about 25 minutes of calling to get through.

For NVC at least, Monday is usually the worst day of the week to call because all of the calls people wanted to make over the weekend but could not because they were closed are made on Mondays. The same theory applies for calls made right when they open. I would suspect similar things apply when it comes to calling the embassy. It seems the best time to call (assuming you are still up) is in the middle of the open hours or towards the end.

From what I can see, there is no difference between the USC calling and the spouse. It really is about persistence.

Zayd, Thank You. I was just hoping I could call the embassy and get some kind of information about our AP other than calling the DOS with no results. The last time i called the DOS the lady told me they used to be able to give you alittle info on the last updates on your case but said they dont have access to that info anymore that it is now blocked out. Apparently,they were giving out too much info. She said now they can only see "Pending or Visa Issued" she told me to call the embassy that they can give me alittle more information on where we are in the process. I tried emailing the embassy in the past but I thought maybe talking to a live person is a little more personal and they may be kind enough to give me alittle more info on our case. When you say persistence, do you believe that if you dont stay in contact with them on a regular basis they may sit on your case and let the security clearances expire only to put you back into AP?

[KandD 1]

Waheed has tried many times to call the embassy. Even when he does get through he is put on hold a very long time and then, they just hang up. In my opinion, it is completely pointless to try anymore. We write emails and they send us the same response each time .... if they chose to respond. This embassy seems to be so completely out of control in more ways than one. Very unprofessional !! I realize I did not give you an answer to your question browneyedgirl.... Sorry, just venting

peace

~kris

Kris,

Here is an excerpt from one of many replies that others have received about contacting Islamabad.

1. I appeared at the U.S Embassy for my interview. I was told that

administrative processing is required for my case. What does this mean?

Administrative Processing is a standard procedure

required by law for visa applications. It is a normal process and it

does not mean anything is wrong with your case. The processing is not

completed here at the U.S. Embassy and we have no control over the

processing time, nor any influence on the processing. Some cases take

longer to process than others; this does not necessarily mean anything

is wrong with your case. Once the administrative processing has been

completed, we will continue with your visa application. We will contact

you to let you know when your case is complete, and will ask you to

return your passport if we have not retained it. Once we have printed

your visa, we will return your passport along with the visa packet via

our approved courier. If it has been more than 10 months since your

interview, please e-mail Pakivquery@state.gov with the date of your

interview and case number. However, please note that routine

administrative processing questions for cases less than 10 months will

not be answered.

Stay positive and hopefully your AP will be finished soon.

Mary

Thank you Mary .... Just having a difficult time right now

Mary, You are such a positive influence on this thread.....Thank you for being here for all of us. AP is so hard and very difficult for all of us here waiting. You have been through it so i know you know how we feel. I know others have been waiting longer than Kris and I and my heart goes out to every single one of you. May God bless all of us through this difficult time.

[MaryandMian 1]

Browneyedgirl,

Thank you and I agree with all your said. Amen.

Mary, You are such a positive influence on this thread.....Thank you for being here for all of us. AP is so hard and very difficult for all of us here waiting. You have been through it so i know you know how we feel. I know others have been waiting longer than Kris and I and my heart goes out to every single one of you. May God bless all of us through this difficult time.

[Zayd 0]

Zayd, Thank You. I was just hoping I could call the embassy and get some kind of information about our AP other than calling the DOS with no results. The last time i called the DOS the lady told me they used to be able to give you alittle info on the last updates on your case but said they dont have access to that info anymore that it is now blocked out. Apparently,they were giving out too much info. She said now they can only see "Pending or Visa Issued" she told me to call the embassy that they can give me alittle more information on where we are in the process. I tried emailing the embassy in the past but I thought maybe talking to a live person is a little more personal and they may be kind enough to give me alittle more info on our case. When you say persistence, do you believe that if you dont stay in contact with them on a regular basis they may sit on your case and let the security clearances expire only to put you back into AP?

Depending on who you talk to at DOS, you will hear a lot of lies. It is a lie that they can not see more details. They just say that to get you off the phone and so people don't keep calling. I have heard this story before and then a couple of days later I got more details. Usually Anna is the one who will give you information. I definitely believe in calling to get updates. It is your responsibility to make sure things don't fall through the cracks. If you know AP is done, call the embassy and your representatives to push it through. Otherwise, it may lapse and you would have to go through it all again.

[shakira 0]

ok guys i am sorry

i didnt mean to be rude

and thank you everyone whoever replied to my questions..

i am just soooooooo frikkin worried abt every lil thing related to this lol. it drives me crazy.. actually i just cant imagine living without my husband for another 4-5 months. and i can see a lot of ppl going through such difficuilt times and i just dont wanna be one of them

my husbands coming in mid of dec!!!!!! and he is going to be with me when i go for the interview.

ooops i almost forgot that i have to call the doc to get an appointment

and oh. EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!

[FaisalShirin4eva 0]

I noe its too late but Eid Mubarak guys!

Now back to my Questions lol. On that DS156 form, do we have to glue passport picture or not?

[KandD 1]

I noe its too late but Eid Mubarak guys!

Now back to my Questions lol. On that DS156 form, do we have to glue passport picture or not?

u can tape it or staple it on

[DR.N 0]

Dear Mary,

I was reading some posts on the family based immigration site and there was someone mentioned a "writ of mandamus."

I was wondering if you have any information about this process and have you heard of anyone taking such a drastic measures in order to get out of AP?

If anyone else has any information in regards to this I would greatly appreciate it. Best wishes to all

[MaryandMian 1]

Dear Mary,

I was reading some posts on the family based immigration site and there was someone mentioned a "writ of mandamus."

I was wondering if you have any information about this process and have you heard of anyone taking such a drastic measures in order to get out of AP?

If anyone else has any information in regards to this I would greatly appreciate it. Best wishes to all

Hello Dr. N,

A Writ of Mandus is filed by an attorney once you have exhausted all resources with the USCIS. You would need to have a paper trail of trying to get your senator/congressman involved and that they government has not given you a decision on your case. When you file the writ it is basically a lawsuit aginst the government and quite costly from my understanding. You are demanding that they make a decision on your case and that they have taken too long. I do not have enough knowledge other than to tell you what I have read. Thus, I do not know how sucessful they have been in the past.

I know of two couples that filed writs after two years and they had paper trails. In one case the male was in AP for over 2 years and he hired a lawyer and filed the WOM. He reported that it was approved after several months. This Pakistani male K-3 cleared his case I guess 2 years back on this forum. His name was Ali and they never got his name checks completed in a timely fashion and it was like a dog chasing his tail. Once a set of checks cleared some of them expired before all of them were current and cleared.

In the other case I am not sure if they ever got it decided or not? He was Pakistani as well and in the UK and they were stuck forever in checks and I do not think they ever got an interview. Their case was stuck at USCIS forever when I was trying to keep up with it. You need to look up THE DIP STICKS or similar screen name here on VJ.

[dhobee 1]

In the other case I am not sure if they ever got it decided or not? He was Pakistani as well and in the UK and they were stuck forever in checks and I do not think they ever got an interview. Their case was stuck at USCIS forever when I was trying to keep up with it. You need to look up THE DIP STICKS or similar screen name here on VJ.

We were stuck with The_Dip_Sticks at USCIS. While both of us considered WOM, neither one had the patience (or dough!) to actually go through it. Our NOA2 got approved (after 2 years, though).

But there's someone else on VJ, by the name GOGO who just went through all of this and actually got his approval within a few weeks. USCIS had really messed up when dealing with his case and I guess it was more of face-saving that forced them to give a quick approval. Allah-hu-Alam. However, these were cases that were stuck at the USCIS stage, which most probably means it was a check of the petitioner and not of the beneficiary. GOGO is not from Pakistan (China, I think) and I am sure he'd be very helpful if you want to go through that.

[VisaVictim 0]

How do you guys get ahold of the embassy? Everytime we call its busy and we cant get through, and we have tried several times.

If anyone knows of a better number how to get thur to actually talk to a live person. I think it would be better if the USC calls. I live on EST. If someone can provide me with a number and a good time to call it would be greatly appreciated.

heh browneyedgirl,

i got a lil trick that seems to work when trying to get thru to someone at the embassy. there isnt a different phone number but what i do saves me time from having to dial a bunch of options. follow the directions as directed it might help. 1st: dial main consular ph number +92-51-208-2700. when the automated voice asks for english press 1. then either select 1 for immigrant visa or 2 for non-immigrant. i dont think it really matters which one, i always select 1 for immigrant they seem to answer quicker. once you select a dept, she'll then start talking again about business hrs. hit 1 to talk to a representative.

after pressing 1 you'll most likely hear a beep then an automated message saying "that number is busy, please try again", but before she can finish her sentence hit 1 again on the phone. you'll probably hear the beep then her annoying message again, just keep hiting 1 before she finishes talking (as soon as you hear her voice is the best time) keep hitting that 1 option over and over, suddenly you'll hear it ring and get a visa representative.

it works for me most of the time. expect to hit the 1 option at least 20 times though.

hope it helps.

-shy

[dhobee 1]

Salam everyone,

I called USEM today to inquire about my visa. A very rude guy answered and told me my visa has been approved but it needs to be "reviewed" and that could take 2-4 weeks. I was shocked, for which he condescended me ("Iss mai itni hairan honay waali kia baat hai" he said). I told him the CO had told me it'll take 7-10 days. He said that's impossible (implying that I was lying!).

I hung up.

My husband told me to call again, hoping I'll get to talk to another operator and get a better response. I called again and this same guy picked up. I told him I was scared by "reviewed" he means "administrative review". He said he said nothing like that... that my visa has been approved, it had gotten clearance but I am not the only one applying for a visa here. There are thousands of people out there who are waiting. They are waiting, I should wait.

This was such an unpleasant experience.

Last time I had called the USEM, the guy who had attended the call was so polite... he actually apologized for the delay (which wasn't a delay, really) because it was the holiday season etc.

But this guy!

Please tell me, is it really such an unheard of thing here that the CO tells you to expect your visa within 7-10 business days?

I don't care about this guy. He said 2-4 weeks... it has already been 8 business days (15 days otherwise) since the interview. Does he know what he's talking about or was he just taking his Eid hang-over out on me?

[shakira 0]

dhoobee. well.. am sure its some sort of a misunderstanding and u will be getting ur visa this week for sure!!!!!!!!!!

u just need to relax and try calling them again

what i have seen is once ur told u will get ur visa in 7-10 days.. then u DO no matter what