Casablanca B1/2 visa experience [221g processing]

[takes0netoknow0ne 0]

Hey everyone,

 

I will share my experience with a B1/2 visa through the Casablanca and give an updated timeline.

 

October 2024 - Scheduled interview for the 10th of August 2025 to attend a conference later in the year.

 

18 February 2025 - Apply for a expedited interview. An important business meeting had popped up, held by a major intergovernmental organization in the US. They provided me with all the necessary documentation to ensure the emergency request gets accepted and the interview goes smooth.

 

20 February 2025 - Emergency appointment approved. Interview scheduled for 6th of March (the only date they gave), and tentative travel date is the 16th of March.

 

6 March 2025 - Attend interview. The first 5 minutes are really good, the visa officer asks me questions about my work, reason for this travel, documents from the inviting organization, my travel history (I did travel quite extensively last year, around 43 times), and how I founded my company. The conversation then drifts into anecdotes where he starts sharing his own experience in learning cybersecurity, and exchanging some stories about travelling to Brazil. He then says he has to talk to someone, then takes my passport and goes to the back for what seems an eternity. He then starts talking with two other people, hands them my passport, and then prints something. 10 minutes later he's back. For the next 5 minutes he asks me basic questions about my university and past employer and starts typing out stuff on the computer (I did an aerospace engineering bachelor degree in China). He then finally asks me if I have a CV and my academic transcripts with me. I obviously found this surprising, and I gave him a copy of graduation certificate, which he says was okay but he needs to the full academic transcript to see exactly what courses I did, alongside my CV. He then handed a 221g white slip, told me to email these two things the same day, and assured me that it would be okay, that it wouldn't take long and that I don't have to worry about my travel date because once this quick review is done, they can issue the process the visa very quickly in case of emergencies. I therefore send these documents the same day, and receive a confirmation of receipt that says the following:

 

Quote

Thank you for your email. Please, note that we have received the required documents, and your case is under review with the consular officer. We expect the review to be completed soon.

 

7 March 2025 - I wake up to an email from the consulate asking me to fill and send back the DS-5535 form. It took a few hours because of extensive travel history, but I sent it the same day. For this one, I have not received a confirmation of receipt.

 

10 March 2025 - I contact them through email about the status of my case and if they received the form (According to their website and own instructions, you can contact immediately if you have an emergency case). No response.

 

13 March 2025 - I contact them again about this through email. No response.

 

17 March 2025 - I ask for my passport to be sent back, as it's already the day of the event and I have other important travel next week.

 

For context, I hold valid multi years visas to the EU and UK on my passport, and have only traveled outside "western aligned" only once, for one semester of university. I can only assume I've been placed into administrative processing because of a combination of my name, nationality, university history, frequent travelling, and current employment (Both of which are positively in the sensitive tech list). Now I wait.

 

Anyone had a similar experience in Casablanca? If so what were your timelines?
 

Edited March 17 by takes0netoknow0ne

[JeanneAdil 6,779]

Are you a single man that would cause the CO to suspect you intend to marry here and remain in the USA?

Have you traveled in your work to countries that have known terrorist cells?

 

These are the 2 things that make for the ds 5535 and extra security vetting

 

and yes, Casa does not make sense when approving some tourist visas 

my MIL applied when Adil was just a LPR of US and we could not have done AOS for her to stay so no reason to think she would not return home

they did approve it when he became a USC and now we could have her stay under the AOS petition

 

Please let us know if the ds 5535 checking is done by August  and the outcome 

please let us know denied or issued a visa 

 

[takes0netoknow0ne 0]

Quote

Are you a single man that would cause the CO to suspect you intend to marry here and remain in the USA?

Nope!

Quote

Have you traveled in your work to countries that have known terrorist cells?

Also nope!

 

Now 2 days after requesting my passport back and getting no response, I started calling them and pursuing them through all the possible contact forms. I managed to get someone to escalate the situation and have finally gotten my passport sent back. To my horror I find out that they never received my DS-5535 or any other email after that. So this is a heads up to anyone applying from Casablanca, if you don't get an answer or a confirmation of receipt, call them, use the feedback form on the usvisascheduling website, and do anything you can to get it acknowledged.

 

Now we wait.