US embassy London lost my immigration packet

[Sparrow01 1]

Ever since I applied for EB1A, the process has been plagued with misfortunes. Now comes the last nightmare. My immigrant visa was granted after dreadful administrative processing with less than 2 months validity. I made my way to the USA only to find out that the us embassy was supposed to give me an immigration packet to bring with me. I still haven’t quit my old job yet as I would certainly know this kind of things would happen. Now the cbp has confiscated my passport demanding me to surrender such a packet. I am about to be fired from my uk job since I am being detained for someone else’ mistake. Has anyone ever faced a similar situation? How can you get such a packet?

[SalishSea 17,970]

9 minutes ago, Sparrow01 said:

Ever since I applied for EB1A, the process has been plagued with misfortunes. Now comes the last nightmare. My immigrant visa was granted after dreadful administrative processing with less than 2 months validity. I made my way to the USA only to find out that the us embassy was supposed to give me an immigration packet to bring with me. I still haven’t quit my old job yet as I would certainly know this kind of things would happen. Now the cbp has confiscated my passport demanding me to surrender such a packet. I am about to be fired from my uk job since I am being detained for someone else’ mistake. Has anyone ever faced a similar situation? How can you get such a packet?

That doesn’t make sense.   CBP “confiscated” your passport?   Where are you now?   Were you admitted?

 

EB1A visas are for Nobel/pulitzer prize winners and the like.   I hardly think you’d be fired from such an esteemed profession for something like that.

[Sparrow01 1]

 

21 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

That doesn’t make sense.   CBP “confiscated” your passport?   Where are you now?   Were you admitted?

 

EB1A visas are for Nobel/pulitzer prize winners and the like.   I hardly think you’d be fired from such an esteemed profession for something like that.

Like I said, I am inside the USA with a parole to find this missing packet to give to cbp. Therefore, I cannot go back to uk to work. My employer will fire me for not show up for work.

[SalishSea 17,970]

46 minutes ago, Sparrow01 said:

 

Like I said, I am inside the USA with a parole to find this missing packet to give to cbp. Therefore, I cannot go back to uk to work. My employer will fire me for not show up for work.

You can absolutely ask for your passport back and return to the UK.

[Boiler 45,730]

My first thought is where is the Employer Lawyer in this but second this whole thing does not sound right.

Edited September 29 by Boiler

[SalishSea 17,970]

43 minutes ago, Boiler said:

My first thought is where is the Employer Lawyer in this but second this whole thing does not sound right.

Exactly.

[Melancholic Mage 115]

5 hours ago, Sparrow01 said:

 

Like I said, I am inside the USA with a parole to find this missing packet to give to cbp. Therefore, I cannot go back to uk to work. My employer will fire me for not show up for work.

 

If you re-read your first post you didn't say that, so you can't say 'like I said'. 

 

While I have little to no experience with EB1A visas, when I was approved for my own visa at the London Embassy a few weeks ago I asked directly about receiving a packet. The officer told me I wouldn't receive one because I filed my information online. When I go to enter the country in a few days, they can pull up all my information on the system. No packet. I do know K1 visas receive one however. Perhaps EB1A's are also an online-only packet?

 

Either way, never heard of officers confiscating passports. The most they do is send you on the next return flight if they deny entry. Besides that, you certainly have a case if your employer tries for dismissal for events outside your control - and on an EB1A at that? What is your profession? 

 

I agree with the others. This doesn't add up. 

[Sparrow01 1]

Cbp pulled up nothing. They took away my passport forbidding my travel. What is not adding up?

 

 

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

21 minutes ago, Sparrow01 said:

What is not adding up?

I don't understand why they would have taken your passport.  There is more to this story.

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

10 hours ago, Sparrow01 said:

I am about to be fired from my uk job since I am being detained for someone else’ mistake.

I wonder why they didn't just send you back on the next flight.........something seems amiss here.

[Boiler 45,730]

EB 1 is an Immigrant Visa variant, it just denoted how you got an Immigrant Visa as opposed to Marriage, DV etc. 

 

OP entered on an Immigrant Visa. The rest to me is a mystery.

[appleblossom 2,802]

3 hours ago, Melancholic Mage said:

Perhaps EB1A's are also an online-only packet?

 

No, EB visas still get a physical packet. 

 

@Sparrow01, the packet should have been couriered along with your passport/visa. Did you definitely only receive your passport back and nothing else in the envelope?

[Sparrow01 1]

I only received a small envelope with my passport only. I didn’t ask before since I thought it was electronic. Cbp proved otherwise. 

[appleblossom 2,802]

10 minutes ago, Sparrow01 said:

I only received a small envelope with my passport only. I didn’t ask before since I thought it was electronic. Cbp proved otherwise. 

 

The instructions you were given are pretty clear - "We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage."

 

Regardless, I don't see any option but to ask for your passport back and return to the UK to get this sorted. You'll have to explain that an error was made and you never received the packet you should have had. Good luck. 

[Lemonslice 4,916]

51 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

The instructions you were given are pretty clear - "We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage."

 

Regardless, I don't see any option but to ask for your passport back and return to the UK to get this sorted. You'll have to explain that an error was made and you never received the packet you should have had. Good luck. 

Before flying back, I would try to reach out to the embassy and have the packet sent by courier to be and go to a deferred inspection center.  I'm sure it's not the first time this has happened.