221g for H1B visa on Nov 29, 2018 at Ottawa, Canada

[ShMW]

Hi ShMW, good to hear that you have a update, it is a positive sign.
I am on similar boat, my interview was in Toronto, 12/03/18, got 221g but need to submit resume and work details.
There is no single update since 12/03/18

May I know how do you inquiry the status with the consulate guys? Thank you so much.
I leave my e-mail here if you would like to talk or share something. My e-mail is lhl19921*2*@gmail.com, please replace * with 0.

Thanks a lot!

Hi chrisgot221g,

I think it is good that there was an update but unless the status changes from AP, can't really make much of it. I was expecting to hear something this week (week of Jan 21st), but nothing yet.

I've dropped you an email but I thought that I'd write up a few lines here so that it's helpful (may be!) for others too.

Well, so far, I've found that only emailing the Consulate guys is helpful, that too only somewhat. Atleast, the first 1-2 lines of their reply indicates that it is not an automated message and that some human has read your email. I emailed them asking whether my case is with USCIS or the Consulate and also told them that has been 6-7-8 weeks since I appeared for the interview. I sent one such email (a slightly stronger tone) on the 17th of Jan and saw that there was an update on the same day. Now, that may be coincidence but my attorney tells me that when we push them, they tend to look into our case at times but that doesn't necessarily indicate any action that has been taken. I also sent them a document from my University that provides more explanation regarding their confusion and they informed me that it has been added to my case file.

I even went to the Ottawa Consulate a few times but was turned away from the gate. With the shutdown behind us, I am hoping for the processing to speed up. It really doesn't make any sense for them to hold the stamping back, specially after the visa has been approved by USCIS. A moment of confusion by the Visa officer is costing us a few months.



Best
Shounak

[anmolwrites]

Hi chrisgot221g,

I think it is good that there was an update but unless the status changes from AP, can't really make much of it. I was expecting to hear something this week (week of Jan 21st), but nothing yet.

I've dropped you an email but I thought that I'd write up a few lines here so that it's helpful (may be!) for others too.

Well, so far, I've found that only emailing the Consulate guys is helpful, that too only somewhat. Atleast, the first 1-2 lines of their reply indicates that it is not an automated message and that some human has read your email. I emailed them asking whether my case is with USCIS or the Consulate and also told them that has been 6-7-8 weeks since I appeared for the interview. I sent one such email (a slightly stronger tone) on the 17th of Jan and saw that there was an update on the same day. Now, that may be coincidence but my attorney tells me that when we push them, they tend to look into our case at times but that doesn't necessarily indicate any action that has been taken. I also sent them a document from my University that provides more explanation regarding their confusion and they informed me that it has been added to my case file.

I even went to the Ottawa Consulate a few times but was turned away from the gate. With the shutdown behind us, I am hoping for the processing to speed up. It really doesn't make any sense for them to hold the stamping back, specially after the visa has been approved by USCIS. A moment of confusion by the Visa officer is costing us a few months.



Best
Shounak

Best of luck Shounak. With the government shutdown behind, things should move quickly.

Anmol

[ggg123]

Hi ShMW, good to hear that you have a update, it is a positive sign.
I am on similar boat, my interview was in Toronto, 12/03/18, got 221g but need to submit resume and work details.
There is no single update since 12/03/18

May I know how do you inquiry the status with the consulate guys? Thank you so much.
I leave my e-mail here if you would like to talk or share something. My e-mail is lhl19921*2*@gmail.com, please replace * with 0.

Thanks a lot!

Hi chris- when did you submit the documents?

[gtalk]

My 221g story from Ottawa

Hi chrisgot221g,

I think it is good that there was an update but unless the status changes from AP, can't really make much of it. I was expecting to hear something this week (week of Jan 21st), but nothing yet.

I've dropped you an email but I thought that I'd write up a few lines here so that it's helpful (may be!) for others too.

Well, so far, I've found that only emailing the Consulate guys is helpful, that too only somewhat. Atleast, the first 1-2 lines of their reply indicates that it is not an automated message and that some human has read your email. I emailed them asking whether my case is with USCIS or the Consulate and also told them that has been 6-7-8 weeks since I appeared for the interview. I sent one such email (a slightly stronger tone) on the 17th of Jan and saw that there was an update on the same day. Now, that may be coincidence but my attorney tells me that when we push them, they tend to look into our case at times but that doesn't necessarily indicate any action that has been taken. I also sent them a document from my University that provides more explanation regarding their confusion and they informed me that it has been added to my case file.

I even went to the Ottawa Consulate a few times but was turned away from the gate. With the shutdown behind us, I am hoping for the processing to speed up. It really doesn't make any sense for them to hold the stamping back, specially after the visa has been approved by USCIS. A moment of confusion by the Visa officer is costing us a few months.



Best
Shounak

I should have posted this in a separate thread. However, this thread has many good responses, so I will share my story with timeline here.

Dec 18 - Visa interview at 9.30AM
VO Questions:
Do you still work for the old company?
How long have you been on H1?
Do you have an approved I140?
Can you explain your responsibilities
Travel in the last 5 years
May I see your resume?
<I gave it to her and she kept it>
Do you have your transcripts with you?
<When I gave it, she made a copy and gave it back to me>

The VO came back, returned my transcripts and said, "We need some time to process your case" and she returned my passport, I797 and a blue slip to me.
She started off pleasantly and for some reason towards the end she seemed pissed at me. I asked her how long this "processing" might take and she got angrier and said, "Two weeks, maybe more, we can't say"

I came back and talked to my HR about this issue. The HR contacted the attorney and they contacted the Consulate. Basically, all of this was pointless and my attorney sent an email saying that I have to wait.

Dec 21 - Partial US Government shutdown because of the border wall funding
Dec 25 - I decide to fly back home as there was nothing to do in Ottawa. It's a nice little city, I got bored after a week
Dec 24 to Dec 26 - Ottawa US Consulate closed for Christmas
Jan 1 - Ottawa Consulate closed for New Years

Jan 16 - Got an email saying that an officer located in Ottawa has requested me to send my passport (17 business days) and also that I have to be physically present in Canada.
Jan 20 - Flew back to Ottawa. Strangely, the first time when I flew to Ottawa from the US in Decemeber, no one seemed to care, I got out of the airport like I'd taken a domestic flight. But this time when I flew to Ottawa from India, they asked questions on why I needed to be in Canada and also stamped my passport with arrival date.
Jan 21 - Couriered the passport
Jan 22 - Passport delivered
Jan 23 - Status change on CEAC website, still shows Administrative Processing
Jan 24 - Status change on CEAC website, still shows Administrative Processing
Jan 25 - Status change on CEAC website, Issued at 2.50 PM. Got emails with tracking number
Jan 25 - End of government shutdown

I hope that I'll get my passport back on Monday, Jan 28.

I'd really like to thank the OP for this thread. I'm not a fan of posting on forums, that ended with Orkut for me (yeah, I'm that old) but I did get a lot of help reading through this post.

My $0.02 on this -
1. If you have an approved I140 and/or if you work or have taken a course in a TAL (Technology Alert List) field during your grad school, you'll probably get a denial from Ottawa
2. There's nothing that anyone can do. Attorney, HR etc have no say in speeding up the process. The processing is like an elephant, slow, mighty, takes its own time. No one from the Consulate contacted anyone back in my company, so it was clear that they didn't suspect the employment but they were taking a closer look at my background.
3. Calling the National Visa Center (NVC) is also pointless because other than saying that, "The processing looks normal", they provide you with no updates and refuse to give you a timeline. Basically, they don't want to commit to any dates.
4. The US Government shut down has no impact on this administrative processing

[ShMW]

Congratulations on hearing back from the consulate and thanks for the timeline gtalk!

I had to google what an OP was and you're welcome ... It's due to the contributions from good Samaritans like Anmol, Felix, Chris, yourself, and others that people might find this thread helpful.

The trend that I am seeing is that people usually get to hear back within a month unless their job descriptions match with some keywords from the TAL list. In which case, they may be going through doing another round of background check that might be dependent on an agency impacted by the shutdown. This is just a speculation and doesn't need to be taken seriously but at this point, having talked to chrisgot221g, who's on the same boat, it feels like the chances of the assumption being an assertion is pretty decent.

Hoping for the best. Will be 2 months for me on Jan 29th!

--
Shounak

- - - Updated - - -

Best of luck Shounak. With the government shutdown behind, things should move quickly.

Anmol

Thanks Anmol. Really need luck by my side now ;-)

[gtalk]

Passport pick up

I should have posted this in a separate thread. However, this thread has many good responses, so I will share my story with timeline here.

Dec 18 - Visa interview at 9.30AM
VO Questions:
Do you still work for the old company?
How long have you been on H1?
Do you have an approved I140?
Can you explain your responsibilities
Travel in the last 5 years
May I see your resume?
<I gave it to her and she kept it>
Do you have your transcripts with you?
<When I gave it, she made a copy and gave it back to me>

The VO came back, returned my transcripts and said, "We need some time to process your case" and she returned my passport, I797 and a blue slip to me.
She started off pleasantly and for some reason towards the end she seemed pissed at me. I asked her how long this "processing" might take and she got angrier and said, "Two weeks, maybe more, we can't say"

I came back and talked to my HR about this issue. The HR contacted the attorney and they contacted the Consulate. Basically, all of this was pointless and my attorney sent an email saying that I have to wait.

Dec 21 - Partial US Government shutdown because of the border wall funding
Dec 25 - I decide to fly back home as there was nothing to do in Ottawa. It's a nice little city, I got bored after a week
Dec 24 to Dec 26 - Ottawa US Consulate closed for Christmas
Jan 1 - Ottawa Consulate closed for New Years

Jan 16 - Got an email saying that an officer located in Ottawa has requested me to send my passport (17 business days) and also that I have to be physically present in Canada.
Jan 20 - Flew back to Ottawa. Strangely, the first time when I flew to Ottawa from the US in Decemeber, no one seemed to care, I got out of the airport like I'd taken a domestic flight. But this time when I flew to Ottawa from India, they asked questions on why I needed to be in Canada and also stamped my passport with arrival date.
Jan 21 - Couriered the passport
Jan 22 - Passport delivered
Jan 23 - Status change on CEAC website, still shows Administrative Processing
Jan 24 - Status change on CEAC website, still shows Administrative Processing
Jan 25 - Status change on CEAC website, Issued at 2.50 PM. Got emails with tracking number
Jan 25 - End of government shutdown

I hope that I'll get my passport back on Monday, Jan 28.

I'd really like to thank the OP for this thread. I'm not a fan of posting on forums, that ended with Orkut for me (yeah, I'm that old) but I did get a lot of help reading through this post.

My $0.02 on this -
1. If you have an approved I140 and/or if you work or have taken a course in a TAL (Technology Alert List) field during your grad school, you'll probably get a denial from Ottawa
2. There's nothing that anyone can do. Attorney, HR etc have no say in speeding up the process. The processing is like an elephant, slow, mighty, takes its own time. No one from the Consulate contacted anyone back in my company, so it was clear that they didn't suspect the employment but they were taking a closer look at my background.
3. Calling the National Visa Center (NVC) is also pointless because other than saying that, "The processing looks normal", they provide you with no updates and refuse to give you a timeline. Basically, they don't want to commit to any dates.
4. The US Government shut down has no impact on this administrative processing

An update on my passport pick up
Jan 28 - Passport ready for pick up at 11.45AM at the post office

[cardinals]

Hey Anmol,

That's great news! happy to hear that

You should be on your way next week. Can you please update when you get your stamped passport?

Hi ShMW,

Any update on your visa case? I am waiting for my US visa since last 2 months and no response yet.

[ShMW]

Hi ShMW,

Any update on your visa case? I am waiting for my US visa since last 2 months and no response yet.

No Update yet. Has been 2 months for me too. Which consulate did your interview with?

[cardinals]

No Update yet. Has been 2 months for me too. Which consulate did your interview with?

Ottawa

[rgruchi]

Jan24 221g yellow slip Ottawa

Jan 24: Got 221G yellow slip in Ottawa
Submitted documents same day after coming back.

Wanted to check here in group how processing is done for 221g timing depends on slip colour or all 221g are treated same and takes same ammount of time .

[ShMW]

Welcome to the club!

Jan 24: Got 221G yellow slip in Ottawa
Submitted documents same day after coming back.

Wanted to check here in group how processing is done for 221g timing depends on slip colour or all 221g are treated same and takes same ammount of time .

Hi,

They ought to have different meanings for the different colors but what happens behind those doors is known only to the VOs! If you follow this thread, you'd see that there are about 3 people who heard back from the consulate in under a month and there are 3 more, who have been fortunate enough to witness the Canadian winter for over 2 months now ;-)

What was the reason behind the 221g in your case. Is this your first h1b stamping?

[gtalk]

Any update?

Hi,

They ought to have different meanings for the different colors but what happens behind those doors is known only to the VOs! If you follow this thread, you'd see that there are about 3 people who heard back from the consulate in under a month and there are 3 more, who have been fortunate enough to witness the Canadian winter for over 2 months now ;-)

What was the reason behind the 221g in your case. Is this your first h1b stamping?

Hi ShMW,
Did you get an update on your case?

[ShMW]

Hi ShMW,
Did you get an update on your case?

Hi,

Nothing yet. Leaving for India on the 10th now. Will work from there.
Chris got an email last week and I am sure he'll update his details.

[ggg123]

Hi,

Nothing yet. Leaving for India on the 10th now. Will work from there.
Chris got an email last week and I am sure he'll update his details.

I got my pp back
Intvw date- 21 dec

email for pp- 25
pp rec- 6th feb

[ShMW]

Documents to be submitted in the courier

Hi Felix, Anmol, Chris, gtalk, and others,

I received the email on Feb 12th from the consulate requesting to submit my passport. I reached India on Feb 11th and it had to come the day after! Anyway, I am coming back to Ottawa on Friday (feb 22nd) and plan to submit the docs the same day.

I've a couple of quick questions for you guys based on the first two points in the 'Courier-In Certificate' instructions:

Instructions:
1. Gather all the required Visa Application supporting documents.
a. First time applicants refer to your appointment instructions for a list of required
documents.
b. Applicants who have received a 221g letter, please refer to the list of documents
requested by the consulate.
2. Travel to one of our authorized courier locations.

For the first point, what documents did you guys send in the courier along with the passport? seems like passport and 221 g is enough but it also mentions that for first time applicants, we need to send the list of docs mentioned in the appointment letter (DS160, Instructions page, I-797 etc).

For the second point, how did you find an authorized CPC center? I couldn't find one in the emails. Did any of you try sending it through Canadian Post?

Thanks
Shounak