Who is still ON-HOLD?

[AZwolfman]

..I have watched a Nation become liberated faster than they can do a name check for my girl ...

Sounds like an exaggeration, but unfortunately it is true.

[SBS]

GZ is having their holidays. but DOS or CA dont. so maybe we can hear good news after holidays from DOS

 

No one knows how long this name check will last. but one thing we do know is that how much we have waited. It has been half a year again since my interview. So no matter how long we still have to wait we have stayed strongly in this long peroid.

 

Stay strong all freinds here! PLease don't give up your hope!

 

at least our loved ones are safe & healthy. there is realy nothing more important than that when the world is filled of fear of SARS. take care of yourself for your loved one that is the best you can do now!

 

God bless you

 

[rmistie]

KKimm.....When shall we begin our attackee?

[Nicole]

http://www.smiling.com.cn/group/homepage.e...?group_id=41104

[Guest ctl3cl45]

Hi,

 

How do I find out whether my fiancee's name check is on hold or not ? Her case was first submitted on Oct. 23, 2002. She passed her interview on Jan. 23, 2003 and the name check was resubmitted on Feb 23, 2003. I called the the DOS info line last week and was told the case is pending. But can I trust that my case is not on hold because it's been 6 months now since they first submitted the case...

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Clifton

[owenkrout]

After six months, pending just means that someone has not got around to doing their job yet. On hold would mean that for some reason someone has actively done something to flag the case as needing further investigation. Apparently one of the most common reasons for being on hold is that of having the same name as someone who has been put on a watch list.

 

Question: The FBI has computer automated finger print search capabilities. Why aren't people fingerprinted and that used to eliminate the vast majority of these same name holds?

[kkimm]

After six months, pending just means that someone has not got around to doing their job yet.  On hold would mean that for some reason someone has actively done something to flag the case as needing further investigation.  Apparently one of the most common reasons for being on hold is that of having the same name as someone who has been put on a watch list.

 

Question:  The FBI has computer automated finger print search capabilities.  Why aren't people fingerprinted and that used to eliminate the vast majority of these same name holds?

"ON-HOLD" is something that the CA office has to tell you. The DOS info line or your case status seen by GZ or others will only show as "PENDING".

 

FBI is setting up their camp in China, why cannot they allocate one person to take fingerprints for namechecks?

 

I agree with you Owen 100%. But I believe this whole "namecheck" thing should only be treated as business/executive decisions, nothing to do with technical probability or accountability.

 

My view of a democratic gov't of the US's, ironically, has been changed by themselves. I would suggest they add themselves to the Human Rights Whitebook they publish each year

[Guest ctl3cl45]

Can anyone tell me if the email reply I got from Maura Harty's office is worth anything ? What else can I do to get a better picture from DOS ?

Name check was first submitted on Oc. 23 , 2002, resubmitted on Feb. 23, 2003.

 

Dear xxxxxx:

 

Assistant Secretary Maura Harty has asked us to respond to your e-mail of May 5 requesting information about the fiancee visa application of xxxxx. Let me assure you that we fully understand that delays in visa issuance are seriously complicating the lives of applicants and of those who are waiting for their arrival.

 

Your fiancee's case is currently pending completion of required security-related vetting through an interagency clearance process. Changes to this process made in July 2002, together with communications problems, computer issues, and vastly increased work volumes, have had the effect of delaying many clearances.

 

We are working with the relevant agencies to complete all clearance requests. We are also working with technical experts here in Washington in an attempt to find new ways to expedite the clearance process.

 

The Department of State, in its visa processes, will continue to carry out scrupulously all legal and procedural requirements for the protection of the security of the United States. When Ms. xxxxx's clearance process is concluded, the Consulate will notify her. I hope and trust that the outcome

will not be delayed much longer.

 

I hope this information is helpful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kathryn Cabral

Chief

Public Inquiries Division

Visa Services

[owenkrout]

Pure cut and paste. This is exactly the same reply that I got clear back in January with a change in the name and date.

[Eric&Yuhui]

Pure cut and paste.  This is exactly the same reply that I got clear back in January with a change in the name and date.

You would think they would "edit" a tad

Yep, good ol' cute and paste from the BH days of last summer.

 

Good grief, I couldn't even imagine STILL being in this mess, as some of BH'ers still are

[SBS]

It has been so long no more news about on hold people. it seems like a silent and dark place to us here.

 

Are you all still keep sending Email or Fax to your congressman? Let us really collaborate with each other on contacting your congressman in your state and update your information here please.

 

I wonder how many people on Hold until now.

 

here is the one list as i know. see if it is correct.

 

 

SBS/ Orbitalpunk CR1

rfsun

Hope

Nicole K-1

Don&MuSi

rmistie

Joy&Gongfuman / Gongfuman CR1

Jason

tunger88

doqqie

[Mick]

After six months, pending just means that someone has not got around to doing their job yet.  On hold would mean that for some reason someone has actively done something to flag the case as needing further investigation.  Apparently one of the most common reasons for being on hold is that of having the same name as someone who has been put on a watch list.

 

Question:  The FBI has computer automated finger print search capabilities.  Why aren't people fingerprinted and that used to eliminate the vast majority of these same name holds?

Because that would make way too much sense Owen and, further, be much too efficient.

[angeloflight]

Called DOS line today. (message said 15 minutes) waited about 45 minutes.  When connected I got a very helpfull lady who took my name and contact information.  She said she would print a copy of our case record and give it to a supervisor? Shocked really it was the first time I ever got anything other than "pending" or "computers are down". 125% better than CA's reply of "sorry on hold nothing we can do".

 

Has anyone had this experience?  Seems positive but won't hold my breath yet.  Will post if any callback.

 

September interview

I too had that "nice lady" answered my phone ont May 12. Her name is Rosa by the way. She is very helpful about my case and offer much more information than other operator. She told me that there is a backlog on the background clearance and she told me that according to her computer screen that there are activities on March, April and May on my case indicating that my case is "active" not "piled on some dump waiting for nothing". At the end, she offered to submit my case to her supervisor to see if they can do anything and she promise to call me back if there is anything from that submission. well that's a lot more information that I get from other operators who would just give "pending, you have wait. no more information.byebye." 2 things I think we all can learn from this. 1st is that eventhough DOS said they don't know what's going on with the clearance. They DO know alot. atleast I think they know where our case are and which agency is handling it. 2nd I think we all can request the operator to submit somekind of inquiry further upstream to the people who really have some ability to look into our cases.

BTW, my time line P3 4/6 Namecheck begins 3/26(weired isn't it? namecheck before P3)

[gongfuman]

If your case is on hold it doesn't do any good to have anyone at 1225 give you case info to someone upstream. I can't tell you how many times I have been told that they are submitting my wife's case to their supervisor for review (including three or four times by Rose), and in eight months nothing has happened. In all fairness though, I do think it may help if your case hasn't had a hold placed on it.

[angeloflight]

Called DOS line today. (message said 15 minutes) waited about 45 minutes.  When connected I got a very helpfull lady who took my name and contact information.  She said she would print a copy of our case record and give it to a supervisor?   Shocked really it was the first time I ever got anything other than "pending" or "computers are down".   125% better than CA's reply of "sorry on hold nothing we can do".

 

Has anyone had this experience?  Seems positive but won't hold my breath yet.  Will post if any callback.

 

September interview

I too had that "nice lady" answered my phone ont May 12. Her name is Rosa by the way. She is very helpful about my case and offer much more information than other operator. She told me that there is a backlog on the background clearance and she told me that according to her computer screen that there are activities on March, April and May on my case indicating that my case is "active" not "piled on some dump waiting for nothing". At the end, she offered to submit my case to her supervisor to see if they can do anything and she promise to call me back if there is anything from that submission. well that's a lot more information that I get from other operators who would just give "pending, you have wait. no more information.byebye." 2 things I think we all can learn from this. 1st is that eventhough DOS said they don't know what's going on with the clearance. They DO know alot. atleast I think they know where our case are and which agency is handling it. 2nd I think we all can request the operator to submit somekind of inquiry further upstream to the people who really have some ability to look into our cases.

BTW, my time line P3 4/6 Namecheck begins 3/26(weired isn't it? namecheck before P3)

yeah. i know the difference between "pending" and "hold". mine is "pending". I do agree with you that this "submission to supervisor" most likely doesn't do anything. but hey, it's better than nothing at all. I mean, try to get a government agency to move is futile enough. image what a "multi-agencies" looks like. i just hold that those submission would get someone's attention someday when the number gets bigger. When they told me it only takes 5 weeks to do a background check. I was very in doubt. I have lost my faith with government agencies a long times ago. i mean when even delivering a piece of damn mail sometimes takes 1 month to reach in the U.S. How can I trust them to do something this much "complicated" to be completed so fast?