So Update…. I received an email today to say my passport has been sent via DX… that’s 7 business days from when it was approved…

interview Jan 24th
submit passport June 12
just over 7 weeks in administrative processing…..
7 business days from approved to issued

now waiting for green light to collect

Great news, almost there!

My appointment was late May. I’ve only just checked the status online (didn’t know you can) and it just says refused. I was referred for a waiver of ineligibility and was granted this 5 years ago. Will this status update when the process moves on? Would I receive an email to inform me at that time?

I’m also wondering reading some of the above messages how long they take your passport for. When I last applied and the waiver was approved, I sent my passport and received it back within a week or two (collected it from somewhere near Holborn in London). Is this still the case or could you be without it for many weeks or months? That would be odd but also untenable as if I’m travelling every 2-3 months (not to the USA) I can’t risk them holding onto my passport unnecessarily.

yes ……. It’s been a long 8 months

You'll get an email to send in your passport, and I think the status moves at that point.

Can I ask, where did you get your case ID from so you could check it?

Thanks

It's standard processing time for London now, I'm following various other immigrant visa timeline threads and anybody applying that way (spousal, employment etc) is getting their passport back within a week. So I'm definitely not special unfortunately.

Are you talking about single entry Green Card Visa? Because that is what an immigrant visa essentially is.

Yep, immigrant visa i.e. 'green card' once you've entered on it.

there was no case ID, I changed the visa type on the checker page to non immigrant and it just let me use the D number from my application. So it says refused until it changes to send passport, isn’t there an update that says waiver granted or anything? And for most people after it says send passport is it returned within a week or two?

Finally is there a deadline to send passport once asked? If I’m 4-6 weeks away from a booked trip I’d be concerned sending my passport off as above posts mention them keeping it for 8 weeks due to ‘processing’ which seems mad?

How many years exactly... you're talking about..? Sounds scary.

thanks. It says up to 21 days to return your passport. I have three trips planned in November, but I'm not booking any of them until my passport is back in my hand with the visa in it

‘A couple’ means 2.

Thanks very much, that's helpful. We all know that 'a couple of' sometimes means even much more...'unspecified time'. Never mind. Two years is still devastatingly long.

Thanks. Just to clarify is this 21 days for them to return your passport after sending it off to them, or 21 days deadline to send your passport to get the visa added once they notify you? I’m concerned about both really if I have another upcoming trip.

why would you let that dictate your travel? I was somewhere in Asia or NZ when my US visa was being put in a passport. the UK allows second passports for exactly this kind of situation…. Although they say it’s for business travel: https://www.gov.uk/government/public...to%20show%20it