Jason and May

The amount of absolute power and control with which consular officers are vested--otherwise termed, I believe, as "broad discretion--"which apparently goes unchecked and for which there is evidently zero recourse, is eye-opening if it is nothing else.

Hi all, Over the two years or so I've been a member here, following different topics, I've seen the topic of police clearance certificates and expiration dates come up not infrequently—at least as memory serves. It seems I've usually read advice that police clearance certificates do not have an expiration date, provided you have not returned to the country of issuance since the PCC's issuance. As noted on the State Department's traveldocs site, the direction is pretty clear. However, as yet another cautionary tale, my wife had her IR1 interview on September 23rd, and she was given a 221(g) for an expired PCC. We're now in this endless loop of administrative processing, likely looking at a new medical exam, hopefully with no sputum flag, and hopefully USEM will respond before the updated PCC expires again. Some people are rolling on 3 months post-221(g) submission and still have no response. Here's the thing, which others may have known but some didn't point out: On the traveldocs site, it does state that PCCs are valid for two years unless they are from a country of former residence and you have not returned there since they were issued. However, in the country-specific sections, if you don't read carefully, you might miss what I missed, which was written amongst all the text that Qatar PCCs expire after six months. Her PCC does have that written on it, but we assumed with advice from here and elsewhere, as well as the traveldocs directions, that it wouldn't be considered expired for the visa application process, particularly since she hadn't left the Philippines, let alone been back to Qatar. We thought it was bulletproof. So, I imagine this is how one Pilipina with an "expired" Qatar PCC could be two counters down from my wife and walk away with an "approval," while my wife and two other Pilipinas at her counter walked away with 221(g)s (theirs weren't from Qatar). There is zero consistency, and nothing is certain. Best of luck to everyone. I really do hope your journeys are less problematic than ours has been.

There are a few of us who have been following the trends in visa statistics for a while. This is good information to impart every once in a while for the fresh faces in our groups, and simply to remind the old faces, as well. The low numbers of spousal visas, just in and of themselves are telling, but when you look at the statistics, it's important to look at the overall statistical picture between immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance numbers. That is what is telling. In the Department of State's own words: "The guiding principle on which we have based immigrant visa prioritization is that family reunification is a clear priority of the U.S. Government’s immigration policy, a priority is expressed in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Specifically, the Department’s prioritization relied on clear direction from Congress that the Department must adopt a policy of prioritizing immediate relative visa applicants and K-1 fiancées of U.S. citizens, followed by family preference immigrant visa applicants." However, in 2022, they issued a directive for embassies worldwide to prioritize non-immigrant visas. At the beginning of 2023, they issued another public bulletin, proudly touting that they had issued worldwide the highest number of non-immigrant visas in their history. Let's see what the numbers say: In 2023, 30, 491 immigrant visas were issued through USEM. Compare that to 249, 644 nonimmigrant visas. For perspective, pre-pandemic, in 2014, for example, USEM issued 30, 612 nonimmigrant visas, while they issued 142, 309 nonimmigrant visas. So, what has changed? Between 2014 and 2023 there was a 75% increase in the number of nonimmigrant visas issued through USEM, while immigrant visa issuances are back to pre-pandemic numbers...so, a tad higher than they were, but then immigrant visa issuances have always been low. And don't be fooled with, "Well, immigrants have to go through NVC and adjustment of status...." Yeah. On average that takes roughly two weeks to one month, give or take. Immigrants and non-immigrants both have to go through interviews. It's a priority and a non-priority. And, more aptly, it's designed to slow, at times stall, and deter immigrants. (My perspective.) Why have numbers picked up now? My educated guess (Top Secret may have a better deduction), while possibly incorrect, is that USEM has met its fiscal year goal for non-immigrant visa issuances and so they may now focus on the intentionally created immigrant visa backlog. But guess what? They can also use their "broad discretion" to issue 221s, creating a steady stream of slowing and stalling for immigrants, as many--MANY--applicants who were interviewed in August and September have experienced.

Yes, she did get it notarized, just to be safe.

Yes. Here is a link to the 221(g) submission slip: https://assets.ctfassets.net/pitqj5emwdvc/2031YbiaXtQjEn5X43s3rU/3caf10b46681790d78195c08c2962ae1/PH_IV_Document_Submission_Letter.pdf

We were fortunate enough that my wife's former employer in Qatar offered to act as her personal representative to retrieve her PCC for her. We had already submitted the application materials through DHL, but then we decide to contact her former employer. The family really liked her and had wanted her to return to work for them again before she and I decided to pursue a relationship. At any rate, once the application showed as received in Qatar, we sent her former employer the affidavit authorizing him to act on her behalf--actually, he had assigned it to one of his employees, but.... They had it within a day, and shipped it to her COD. If you can't do something like that, your other option is to contract one of the agencies in Qatar that offers this service. I read about one that seemed legit and had some reviews in a group I'm part of, but it cost about as much as a plane ticket to Qatar, and I didn't trust the reviews weren't fake. The only other option, so far as I'm aware, is to make the application and wait out the long process. My wife's issue was the same as your husbands: She got her PCC in August 2023. Her visa stamps and immigration record show she has not left the Philippinnes since 2022. She was at window 68 on 09/23/24 for her interview. Tall, light-skinned Asian guy, she said. Polite, but firm. She tried to explain that she only followed with the State Department's website said, following all the rules. And he told her PCC document cannot be expired. That Monday, I consulted an immigration attorney, ready to pay a retainer to sue the State Department and USEM. He told me that if my wife wanted her visa she had to do what the consular officer told her to do, even if it is directly contrary to what the State Department says about PCCs. I also contacted my senator's office. They told me they are aware of "widespread abuse at the consular level worldwide," but there's nothing they can do about it. The attorney said once a consular officer has made a decision, unless it is a "flagrant abuse of power," those decisions are almost never reversed. I contacted USEM, sending them the snip from the USCIS field manual that discusses PCCs and also the snip from the traveldocs civil document reciprocity site, my wife's visa stamps, and her immigration record (showing she has not left PHILS since 2022). They responded that in order for her visa to be issued she has to produce an unexpired PCC...and then directed me to the civil documents reciprocity site that says PCCs don't expire if they were issued from a country of former residence and you have not been back there since it was issued. At this point, with me pointing out the obvious from their own field manual and the SD's website and them sending me back a garbage response directing me to the same website that says the PCC isn't expired, it just seems like they either just don't care because no one can or will do anything or they are so inept it's more mindboggling than I had thought. I suppose maybe it really does just come down to consular officer discretion and what I say are "rules" are actually just guidelines, and if he wants a document that does not say "expired," then he can make you get a document that's not expired. But then they should put something in their preinterview checklist so people can make an informed decision as to what they want to do: Shoot the dice with an expired PCC or try to get an "unexpired" PCC prior to the interview. Because they are making decisions that affect people's lives: My wife's medical was July 15. She got her IL 08/01. Her interview was scheduled for 09/23. If Qatar took 3 months to get her PCC to her, then we're in the end of December. How long will USEM take to review and issue the visa? So that means we're playing around with another medical so her visa won't expire.... Absolutely ridiculous. And even having been fortunate with getting the PCC so quickly, we're still just waiting out USEM, who can take up to 180 days or more to decide what they want to do.

Someone else had shown me that, too. As far as I'm aware, she didn't get an interview appointment confirmation. We were emailed by NVC that the appointment had been scheduled, but there was no barcode on that email, and the only attached document was a document describing how to upload and submit documents in CEAC. She also did not have an MRV fee payment (I believe because it was an immigrant visa interview.)

I feel sheepish posting so many questions the last couple of days. And I'm very thankful for the members kind enough to answer and put up with continued questions.... Hopefully one last question, at least on this topic: My wife got a 221(g) for an expired Qatar Police Certificate. She now has the PCC and we need to send it to the embassy with her passport. On the 221(g) Submission Slip, there is a section to fill out the UID number of the applicant. The old GGI portal is no longer active, and I am unable to create an account at the new usvisascheduling site. (I get "error" and "profile not found" when I enter my wife's NVC case number.) We didn't get a confirmation letter for her interview, only the email. (Some people who received letters with barcodes report their UID on that letter.) I don't see her UID number anywhere, so I believe it is only accessible via CGI. The question: I'm thinking of just having her re-register the delivery address for her visa with LBC when she drops off her documents required by the embassy via the 221(g), and sending the submission slip with "N/A" in the UID line. Has anyone submitted the 221(g) submission slip without filling in the UID? If so, has it been accepted, or have they rejected the documents sent in because the 221(g) submission slip was not filled out completely (missing the UID number)? TIA

Not particularly. Just the standard 221(g) form. Upload Qatar PCC to CEAC. Send the PCC and her passport to the embassy via LBC. When I tried logging into CGI just to double check that her visa delivery address was good to go, because of the problems logging in, I stumbled onto the "221(g) Submission of Documents" page, with some fairly detailed instructions on what to do when you get a 221(g) from USEM. That I think no one at the embassy told my wife. They just said, evidently, "LBC your documents and passport to the embassy." Part of that page instructs that you must fill out a 221(g) Submission Slip and send that with your 221(g) and required documents via LBC. To fill out the submission slip, you have to put your NVC case number and UID number on it. The UID number, so far as I'm aware, is only available on CGI. As I was googling what the heck is a UID number and finding out it is listed on CGI, I also came across some threads discussing the new usvisascheduling platform that rolled out, and that evidently CGI might not be used through the Philippines anymore. Or maybe it is. That part is what is confusing. Because I don't know if CGI is just down, or if we should now be using usvisascheduling to register the delivery address, etc. And most people seem to be kind of in the same boat as me. So I was looking to see if anyone here actually knew anything about it. Because the last thing I want to do is assume we can just send the submission slip with no UID number on it and then 3 months later USEM sends her passport and PCC back saying the submission slip lacked her UID number. It's very frustrating.

She had an interview on 09/23 and received a 221(g) to provide an unexpired PCC from Qatar. We have the PCC now, but evidently we have to fill out the 221(g) Document Submission form to send her document/passport in. I need to put her UID number on the form, but her UID number so far as I can tell is only listed in her CGI account. So, I can't log in to the CGI account, and I'm reading/being told now the Philippines has transitioned to this new usavisa scheduling site (I got that confused with the VAC in Manila). It's very confusing as to whether we are supposed to create a new account on the new usavisa scheduling site or if CGI is just down at the moment. I did create an account for her at the new site and it walked me through registering her visa delivery address, but it's not finding her USCIS case number. It appears there might be a UID number at the usavisa scheduling site next to her name (it's a 9-digit number), but I've really no idea. Very frustrating.

My wife's embassy is Manila. I tried to log in to CGI tonight, but I keep getting redirected to the login page. I thought CGI was down, since it often is, but I'm seeing people saying if your embassy is USEM, you must use the new VAC system for appointment scheduling and updating the delivery address for the visa. Should I be using VAC or CGI? Someone shared a link for the VAC, but that link eventually just circles me back to the CGI site.

I think we might be okay. Fortunately, my wife had a really good relationship with her former employer and his wife, and he has some family who work in the Ministry of the Interior. She reached out to him, and voila. He shipped her PCC to her today. DHL estimates delivery by 09/30. When she was told to LBC her passport and PCC to the embassy, she says he wasn't given an address; by that, I mean, I guess I'm thinking with my American brain, and here, we would address it to a department at the embassy, like the "Administrative Processing Unit," etc. Does she literally address it to the embassy? Or is this something where with LBC being a courier for the embassy, they will know where/who to deliver it to?

Thank you, pushbrk! This is helpful.

I appreciate you responding. Thank you!

This is super helpful. Thank you for answering! I was just reading at the USCIS site, but I was probably reading something different than what applies to CR and IR visas. Thank you for clarifying this. It's very helpful!