I wanted to share my journey and offer hope to anyone who might have recently been given a DS-5535 after their interview in Montreal. Here is my timeline (IR1):
I-130 receipt date: November 14, 2022
I-130 approval: February 22, 2024
NVC case creation date: February 26, 2024
DQ’d at NVC: March 13, 2024
IL received: August 29, 2024
Interview: October 29, 2024 - told I was conditionally approved. Case stayed at “ready” on CEAC for 3 weeks afterward
CEAC updated to “Refused” after congressman reached out: November 19, 2024
Received DS-5535 via email: November 21, 2024
Submitted DS-5535: November 21, 2024
CEAC status changed to “issued”: December 6, 2024
Took 2 weeks (8 business days since consulate closed for 2 days for Thanksgiving) for DS-5535 to clear. Passport hasn’t been shipped yet; I need to see about switching to purolator via email inquiry, as I can no longer do so on the AIS site. So sorry for all those still waiting. I was fully expecting 8 months at minimum, but was prepared to wait well over a year.
For context, the reason I was told the consular officer could not issue my visa right away was because I had a previous incident of not being let in at the border. I was allowed to withdraw my application to enter and explained this, but she said she needed to verify this before she could issue my visa. She said it should only take a day or two. We started to panic when it had been 3 weeks with no changes. I really feared getting a delayed DS-5535. I was born and raised in Canada, have only ever been in Canada, the US, and Mexico (once when I was 15). I don’t work in tech/research/any field which might have triggered it.
I hope you all see some resolution soon!
