CFS

Did you guys ever receive a resolution? We have to re-do the medical exam now as well (following DS-5535 clearance as of today, which took 3 months or around 60 business days). I proactively called the Embassy asking them for the Health Case ID number about 2 months ago and they still haven't released it. Any inputs here would be helpful. Thanks!

Still waiting for the DS-5535 to clear (it's been 1.5 months) and the NBI clearance/medical expire in 2 days...fun times! I no longer am waiting on bated breath for this process to clear...as long as it does so someday, it will be fine.

Yes, most will. It is a serious waste of time.

If you want 100% certainty, call the Philippine Embassy. They will be able to confirm.

It was in October 2022 (and I'm hoping it has changed as it's increasingly likely we're going to have to redo the medical exam). Previously (based on the website), it was a requirement only for people with specific pre-existing conditions.

It took 5 months. Our DS-260 got approved on December 2021 and we were notified about the interview appointment scheduling in April 2022. It may have taken this long, though, due to backlogs from the pandemic. One very big piece of advice - do not make assumptions around when you will receive your visa. We re-scheduled my spouse's medical appointment/visa interview date to early October 2022 (due to some previous plans we already had for the summer) and thought it would all be wrapped up by November 2022. It's now the end of January 2023 and things are not resolved. We were unexpectedly delayed multiple times due to: 1. Medical exam - when my spouse went for the medical exam, it was a requirement for *all* applicants to get a sputum test for tuberculosis (which added 10 weeks to the timeline as that's how long it takes for the cultures to grow). If you have some sort of pre-existing medical condition, you would also be wise to come with a note from your doctor stating that it is under control and does not pose any challenges (otherwise, you will be asked to return with this in hand) 2. When my spouse went to the visa interview in December 2022, we were asked to upload the latest copy of our tax returns to CEAC since what was approved in the DS-260 pertained to the 2020 tax year and we were at the end of 2022 ( to our credit, we brought in the physical copy of our 2021 tax returns but they wanted this uploaded to CEAC as well and we did not know about this beforehand) and also to provide the *original* copy of the NBI clearance (since we brought a copy by accident). We were issued a 221G letter for this 3. One month later after mailing in the documents above, we found out (through another 221G) that we needed to complete Form DS-5535 (who knows why - maybe because we traveled internationally after the DS-260 got approved and they needed to conduct a background check on this). The wait time for DS-5535 to clear is very long based on what I've heard and I'd be delighted to hear it being wrapped up by end of this year (and will be absolutely floored if it's sooner than that) Point being - do not make plans in advance of time. This process is rife with delays that you cannot foresee no matter how much research you do online or how many immigration lawyers you consult. Come well-prepared to the interview with *original* copies of all documents. If your NBI clearance is about to expire, get a new one and pre-upload it to CEAC. Make note of whether they would logically ask you for physical copies of your latest tax returns (like in my case above) and pre-upload these documents to CEAC in advance of the interview. Bring a pre-filled out Form DS5535 in case they ask you for it. This is a waiting game and closing every potential opportunity for delay can only help you.

Update - we have the old passport number (we found it by some miracle). I'm curious, though, as to others' wait times recently with DS-5535 cases in Manila. Please let me know - thanks!

Update - they are requesting an e-DS5535 (i.e. extreme vetting). I'm thinking: 1. It is a clerical thing since his passport clearly shows additional stamps (including trips to the United States through a B1/B2 visa that happened *after* we submitted the DS-260 back in May 2021) and they just want to make sure they have that information on file 2. Our application looks "suspicious" or "unusual" due to the amount of travel that we do (we travel quite often to different countries to leisure) or because he was in the U.S. visiting me through the B1/B2 (legally) for months at a time Whatever the case is, just have to push through. Unfortunately, in the DS-55335, they ask for passport information for any previous passports the applicant may have held and my spouse lost his previous passport and has no record of it. Has anyone gone through something similar before? If so, where did you obtain the previous passport information from? Thanks!

Thank you! top_secret (or anyone else) - have you ever heard of a visa being issued/delivered if the CEAC status still says "Refused"? I'm going to call the embassy tonight and ask - just wondering. I really can't imagine what else they can require (unless they need additional documentation they didn't ask for in the 221G in the first time)... Thank you!

Thank you, top_secret! Yes, this time frame seems consistent with everything I've seen online. I have an "interesting" update - we just got notified by LBC that my spouse's passport is being returned. However, the visa status on the CEAC website (as of one day ago - we just got the notification today) still shows as "Refused" and we still haven't received any approval notification from the US Embassy. I wonder if this means they're issuing a new 221(g) (for who knows what reason this time) or if their systems are just lagging. I've attached the e-mail from the LBC for reference. If anyone has insights (i.e. does this likely mean a 221G, should the embassy have sent an e-mail/updated the status if it was a "Yes", etc.), please let me know. Seems like we'll know in 2 days' time but I appreciate any thoughts in advance. Thanks!!

Hello, Has anyone here been issued a 221G at the US Embassy in Manila? I'm particularly interested in those who started to go through this process in 2022. Long story short - my spouse's visa interview on Dec. 12, 2022 went well but they asked for the following through the 221G letter: 1) The *original* NBI clearance (we brought in a copy by accident) 2) An upload of my 2021 tax returns to CEAC (we brought in the physical copy but the ones that were approved during the DS-260 process were those for 2020 and thus they asked us to upload the 2021 tax returns to CEAC) We uploaded/submitted this on the day itself via LBC and they arrived (confirmed with the Embassy) on Dec. 14, 2022. I'm hoping that a case like this won't take too long to process (especially since his NBI clearance and medical exam results both expire by the first week of March 2023) - however, have read a lot of 221g horror stories online and would love perspective from someone who's gone through this recently. Please let me know - thanks!

I agree that there's a high chance that the B1/B2 will be denied (this was confirmed by a lawyer in my case). Also, even if it is approved, expect to be grilled when entering the United States by U.S. immigration and do not expect that your spouse would be let in simply because she has a tourist visa.

Hi Dave - I suggest you call the Embassy directly. We had our appointment on Dec. 12, 2022 and this was scheduled in early November 2022 (sadly got a 221G, which we're waiting to resolve - make sure you bring *ORIGINAL* documents to the interview and that these are all uploaded to CEAC before the interview). I was seeing the same thing beforehand when I tried to "Reschedule" - when I called the Embassy, they told me you have to cancel your appointment (we already had an appointment) and schedule a new one. Not sure why but that did work. Good luck!

I strongly suggest you get an immigration lawyer to guide you through the process. We filed the I-130 in November 2020 and *still* haven't gotten the visa (we got issued a 221G in December 2022). Having an immigration lawyer will guide you through the process and ensure you have the proper forms at the proper times. Our process has been delayed for months due to simple technicalities (e.g. having the wrong marriage certificate uploaded during the DS-260 process, bringing in a *copy* of the NBI clearance instead of the actual one to the interview). Happy to chat further.