Remix

Just now, Lil bear said:

Most people mail their passport .. or use a courier service to ensure security of delivery. Worth the $$   It will be mailed back to her 

Can you recommend a courier service that can do it?

Does anyone know if there is a way to send a passport to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw Poland to get it stamped. My mother had an interview in December 2022. The Consular Officer didn't approve her visa on the spot/requested additional documents. We've now received a confirmation that her visa is approved. My mother resides in Russia and we are trying to figure out how to get her passport to the Embassy without requesting a Schengen visa and flying to Warsaw again. Does anyone here know if there is a way to mail a passport to Warsaw Poland to get it stamped? I attempted to contact the Embassy with this question but their response is a bit ambiguous to me. They did confirm that it doesn't have to be an applicant coming in person, but it is not clear whether it can be mailed.  Curious is anyone here faced with a similar situation.

Thank you all for your responses. What I decided to do is to write to the Embassy directly and asked if my mom's case can be adjudicated separately. I am now happy to report back that my mom's visa was approved. My dad's case will remain in the administrative processing unfortunately but hopefully, that gets resolved very soon as well. 

The U.S. asked us to bring my mom's passport to get it stamped. Curious if anyone faced with a similar situation. Is it possible to ship it or the applicant has to be present to bring and receive a passport? Can it be done through an agent or a family member? My mom's Schengen visa has expired so we would have to apply over again just for the purposes of getting her passport to the U.S Embassy in Poland. Trying to see if there are other ways to have the passport stamped.  Any insight is appreciated. 

21 hours ago, blakezero said:

@Remix Sorry for tagging you. I read your post and we'd like to know what missing document the interviewer asked you parents. We have all documents they've requested and we're afraid that the day of the interview if happens to us. Thank you in advance.

In our case, there were a few things. First, "missing"  documents were new police certificates. We submitted to the CEAC copies of certificates that my parents obtained at that time but because more than a year passed, my parents obtained new police certificates (with translations) and brought them to the interview. We never uploaded to the CEAC. That was a mistake. A similar problem was with my dad's passport. Because ti was expiring soon, he obtained a new one and brought both passport at the interview. Because the new passport was never uploaded, the officer also raised this as an issue. Second and very unfortunate, my dad was asked to submit additional information from Form DS 5535 which means his case was placed in administration proceeding. Happy to answer any other follow-up questions. Good luck. 

10 minutes ago, mam521 said:

has dealt with this with one of their parents.  Seemingly no red flags, but a lot of red tape to get to the end...

Can I ask how long it took for AP to complete?

Just now, milimelo said:

Yes, they said they all want to be issued at the same time.

Interesting. They said at the interview or later?

In our case, my mom wasn't given that choice. The Embassy said they won't issue her a visa until AP is complete for my dad's application. 

1 hour ago, milimelo said:

A son of a friend of ours had this - the rest of the family was good to go but he was in admin processing. Family of course opted to wait until AP was over for everyone to get their visas - took a bit over 3,5 months. They're all in the US now. 

Thanks. How did the family opt to wait? Did the officer asked them whether they wanted to wait or be issued visas separately?

7 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

 Did they give him a form 5535 questionnaire?

Yes, the officer during the interview gave him a list of questions to provide answers. It wasn't in a formal Form 5535, but a list of questions appear to be the same as on the Form 5535. The parents understood that the Embassy wanted the same info for my dad and mom, but as i explained, it appears the info was needed only for my dad. 

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

Are there any red flags?  Are your parents Russian?

I don't really know what could be the basis of the AP or what red flags could be. Both my parents were issued a US visitor visa on 3 separate occasions in the past (always granted without any AP). Both traveled to the US at least 5 times (together and separately) in the last 10 years, never overstayed their visas. They are Russian citizens. Both retired.

I am not really looking to expedite my dad's admin review.  My concern is whether their withholding my mom's visa is really proper here when her case is complete and not subject to AP.  They explicitly confirmed to me that her case is not subject to AP. 

Does anyone know of any options to raise this issue to somewhere that oversees embassy work? 

1 minute ago, Crazy Cat said:

All cases go through some form of AP.  It could be days, weeks, months....  I can't see them delaying her visa if they thought his AP was going to take months or years.

I'd like to believe that but unfortunately it's been already a month since I've received confirmation from the Embassy stating that my dad's application is in administrative processing. In the same email, the Embassy also wrote to me that "Please be aware that it may take up to several months to complete." That makes me worry about my mom's visa .... and that it could be delayed for months to come.

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Administrative review or administrative processing

i'm sorry. Administrative Processing. My understanding is that it takes months if not years.

1 minute ago, Jorgedig said:

To me it sounds like they are both in AP.

I've been having back and forth with them. The US Embassy confirmed in writing that my mother's application is not subject to admin review that is why I find the whole delay is strange. When we submitted additional information, we did it separately for my mom and for my dad. Interestingly for mom, they wrote back saying they do not need it. When I sought clarification why, they wrote back confirming that only my dad's application is subject to admin review; however, my mom's visa will not be issued until admin review of my dad's application is complete. 

We never requested them to be interviewed together. That is how the Embassy scheduled their interviews, which was the same day. 

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone faced with a similar situation. 

I am a sponsor for IR5 visas for both my parents. The petitions were approved. The interviews were conducted at the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. The interview went fine; however, the officer requested additional information. We sent everything requested in the next two days. Initially, my parents understood that both their application are subject to administrative review. However, after submitting all the information, we've learned that only my dad's application is. Although my mother's application requires no additional information or  documents, the consular officer refuses to grant her a visa until my dad's administrative proceeding is complete. 

I find it a little odd (perhaps, not proper?) given that we submitted separate petitions, applications, fees, AOS etc. Why would my mother's visa has be withheld because of my dad's admin review if both of them are independent applicants? Curious if anything has any insight. We've been trying to expedite their visas for many months, and having another delay is just beyond frustration. I have a newborn at home and need to undergo a medical procedure asap, and having at least one of my parents around helping with the baby will be a huge help. I tried to write to them, but the US Embassy in Warsaw refuses to grant my mom's visa until my dad's admin review is complete.