H1B renewal after DUI - Admin Processing


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I was arrested for DUI on Jun'14 in Mountain View, CA, and was charged as such in the court. 

Oct 11th 2017 - I had my Visa Interview in Chennai for H1B renewal (first visit after the incident) in Chennai. The VO asked few questions on the incident, such as how it happened, my BAC, and all the legal steps I went through after the incident. I submitted all the documents related to the incident such as the police record, DMV record etc. I was asked to be seated and was called in 10min or so. All the documents along with the passport were given back to me, and I was given a 221(g)  requiring me to go through a physical. I went to Apollo hospital the very same day, and completed all the check-ups. After this, the CEAC website (https://ceac.state.gov/) showed the case created to be Oct 6th, and last updated as Oct10th. 

Nov 7th 2017 - I receive a letter from BlueDart, asking me to submit my passport to any of VAC. The  CEAC website had no updates at this point, and last updated continued to be Oct10th.

Nov 9th 2017 - I submit my passport, along with the 221(g) at VAC in Chennai. 

Today (Nov 15th 2017) - Haven't received my passport back yet. No change in CEAC website. US Travel Docs (http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-niv-passporttrack.asp) shows status as - Your passport is still with the US Embassy/Consulate

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get the passport back after it's been submitted? Thanks. 

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7 hours ago, stampwithgrace said:

It was returned pretty quickly for me. Read my post. You shall have it soon. Keep us posted thanks. 

Thanks. Do you have an approximate idea for how long it took. I ask, since I have rescheduled my flight twice already, and it would be helpful to know to when I have to reschedule it for the 3rd time. 

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Nov 16th - 'Last Updated' date in CEAC finally changed for the first time to Nov 16th from Oct 6th.. The status continued to remain Administrative Processing. So it took roughly one week after I submitted my passport for the status to change. 

Nov 17th - In the morning CEAC status changed to 'Issued' from 'Administrative Processing'. USTravelDocs status changed at around noon to 'Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery'

 

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17 hours ago, remremfnov said:

Nov 16th - 'Last Updated' date in CEAC finally changed for the first time to Nov 16th from Oct 6th.. The status continued to remain Administrative Processing. So it took roughly one week after I submitted my passport for the status to change. 

Nov 17th - In the morning CEAC status changed to 'Issued' from 'Administrative Processing'. USTravelDocs status changed at around noon to 'Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery'

 

Congratulations, and thanks for posting back. Lot of people do not. 

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On 11/17/2017 at 2:48 PM, remremfnov said:

Nov 16th - 'Last Updated' date in CEAC finally changed for the first time to Nov 16th from Oct 6th.. The status continued to remain Administrative Processing. So it took roughly one week after I submitted my passport for the status to change. 

Nov 17th - In the morning CEAC status changed to 'Issued' from 'Administrative Processing'. USTravelDocs status changed at around noon to 'Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery'

 

Hi @remremfnov, Please update when you pick up your passport from VAC. I am in same boat and I submitted my medical report & passport to VAC in DELHI on Oct 26th, so far case is still showing admin processing. It has been 3 weeks since then. I am stressed and scared. Why is it taking this long?

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On 11/19/2017 at 4:40 AM, newuser12345 said:

Hi @remremfnov, Please update when you pick up your passport from VAC. I am in same boat and I submitted my medical report & passport to VAC in DELHI on Oct 26th, so far case is still showing admin processing. It has been 3 weeks since then. I am stressed and scared. Why is it taking this long?

For the sake of other users can you post your detailed timeline of the incident of DUI, outcome of case, stamping, location, how many times, interview questions, doctor panel etc ?

 

Good Luck, I hope you get your passport soon. 

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5 hours ago, stampwithgrace said:

For the sake of other users can you post your detailed timeline of the incident of DUI, outcome of case, stamping, location, how many times, interview questions, doctor panel etc ?

 

Good Luck, I hope you get your passport soon. 

Hi @stampwithgrace,

here is the timeline - 

  • March 2013 - Arrested for Drunk Driving. Blood taken and released right away to my friends. I hired a DUI lawyer.
  • August 2013 - Pled guilty to DWAI, 9 month probation, classes, fines and community service. No jail time. Judge allowed me to travel to India in Oct and as I still had valid VISA so no issues. At port of entry, stopped for secondary screening.
  • April 2014 - Probation complete, classes complete and case closed.
  • I got my H1b renewed in 2015 till 2018.
  • Oct' 2017 - Came to india, New Delhi for first stamping after incident.
  • Oct 8th - I went for OFC appt.
  • Oct 10th - Went for visa interview. Officer asked what was the reason for impairment. i said alcohol. She gave me a 221g which stated submit court documents. I submitted document the same day.
  • Oct 18th - Got email to pick up passport. Due to Diwali, i went to collect on 20th. Got another 221g with passport, asking me to go for medical evaluation. i did the evaluation same day (Psych eval, blood, weight, eye, x-ray, another doctor for vaccination & TB i think, was given 3 vaccinations) and was asked to pick report next week thursday.
  • On 26th Oct, i picked my report and submitted it along with my passports at the VAC centre.

Since then my case is in admin processing, no status update, none. It has been 3 weeks and a day since then. No status date updated, nothing. Any email or call to us travel docs gives me standard reply saying "It is in admin processing. Usually resolve within 60 days".

I am so stressed. Praying a lot as I don't know what else to do. It is blackbox so not knowing make it more stressful.

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On 11/18/2017 at 11:10 PM, newuser12345 said:

Hi @remremfnov, Please update when you pick up your passport from VAC. I am in same boat and I submitted my medical report & passport to VAC in DELHI on Oct 26th, so far case is still showing admin processing. It has been 3 weeks since then. I am stressed and scared. Why is it taking this long?

I would expect that you would be receiving the letter sometime this week, or early next week. My stamping was in Chennai however. So YMMV considering your processing is in Delhi. 
It appears there are too many 221(g) being issued these days, and that probably has increased the timeline for us all. Good luck to you, and please do create a new thread with your experience, so folks going to Delhi consulate are benefitted. Let me know if you have more questions. 

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5 hours ago, stampwithgrace said:

For the sake of other users can you post your detailed timeline of the incident of DUI, outcome of case, stamping, location, how many times, interview questions, doctor panel etc ?

 

Good Luck, I hope you get your passport soon. 

I've provided a lot of these details in the first post in this thread. I'll re-summarize below. If you have any other specific questions, please do ask. 

Jun '14 - Arrested for DUI in Mtn. View, CA. BAC : 0.14

Oct '14 - Charged with DUI. Had 7 days of community service, some fine, license suspended for 1 month + 6 month of restricted license (allowed to drive to and from work only), 3 months of DUI program. 

Travelled to India 3 times in 2015. But didn't require stamping, since I had a valid H1B till 2016. I did have to go through the standard secondary at the immigration. Just few regular question on the incident were asked. (In an earlier post I said 2017 was the first time I travelled after the incident. That is incorrect)

Oct 11th 2017 - At the Chennai consulate everything was going fine, except in the end I was asked if I had any run ins with the law. I was then asked what and how it happened, my BAC, the fine I payed, and the police report. I was given 221(g) after some 10 mins of wait and was required to go to the physical panel. 

I went to Apollo the same day at around 10ish AM, paid INR 14K (I am assuming 2K was bribe, since I didn't get a receipt) and they did a blood test, XRAY, a full body check up and psych analysis. Nothing to be concerned here. I was done with all by 2PM. Make sure to carry 12 or so photographs with you. Be prepared to run between counters, and lot of confusion, specially if you don't speak the local language. It's a very poorly managed hospital. 

The CEAC status at this point was Administrative Processing and last updated date of Oct10th (Yes, one day before the interview.)

Nov 7th 2017 - I receive a letter from BlueDart, asking me to submit my passport to any of VAC. The CEAC website had no updates at this point, and last updated date continued to be Oct10th.

Nov 9th 2017 - I submit my passport, along with the 221(g) at VAC in Chennai. Download 2 copies of 'Document Submission Letter' from the UStravelDocs website. This too has to be submitted along with the passport. One copy will be stamped and be given back. 

Nov 16th 2017- 'Last Updated' date in CEAC finally changed for the first time to Nov 16th from Oct 6th.. The status continued to remain Administrative Processing. So it took roughly one week after I submitted my passport for the status to change. 

Nov 17th 2017 - In the morning CEAC status changed to 'Issued' from 'Administrative Processing'. USTravelDocs status changed at around noon to 'Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery'. 

Nov 20th 2017 - I receive the passport from the BlueDart office. 

Reach out to me for any other specific questions. 

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8 hours ago, newuser12345 said:

Hi @stampwithgrace,

here is the timeline - 

  • March 2013 - Arrested for Drunk Driving. Blood taken and released right away to my friends. I hired a DUI lawyer.
  • August 2013 - Pled guilty to DWAI, 9 month probation, classes, fines and community service. No jail time. Judge allowed me to travel to India in Oct and as I still had valid VISA so no issues. At port of entry, stopped for secondary screening.
  • April 2014 - Probation complete, classes complete and case closed.
  • I got my H1b renewed in 2015 till 2018.
  • Oct' 2017 - Came to india, New Delhi for first stamping after incident.
  • Oct 8th - I went for OFC appt.
  • Oct 10th - Went for visa interview. Officer asked what was the reason for impairment. i said alcohol. She gave me a 221g which stated submit court documents. I submitted document the same day.
  • Oct 18th - Got email to pick up passport. Due to Diwali, i went to collect on 20th. Got another 221g with passport, asking me to go for medical evaluation. i did the evaluation same day (Psych eval, blood, weight, eye, x-ray, another doctor for vaccination & TB i think, was given 3 vaccinations) and was asked to pick report next week thursday.
  • On 26th Oct, i picked my report and submitted it along with my passports at the VAC centre.

Since then my case is in admin processing, no status update, none. It has been 3 weeks and a day since then. No status date updated, nothing. Any email or call to us travel docs gives me standard reply saying "It is in admin processing. Usually resolve within 60 days".

I am so stressed. Praying a lot as I don't know what else to do. It is blackbox so not knowing make it more stressful.

It's interesting that you had to pick up the report and submit it yourself, and that you submitted your passport as well. In my case, the medical report was sent directly from the hospital to the embassy. Could that be the difference between how Chennai and Delhi consulate handles 221(g) for DUI Perhaps(?)

I agree it is stressful, but rest assured you will get it sooner or later. The wait is painful, but sit tight, and find peace in knowing the result will almost definitely be positive :) 

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1 hour ago, hakunamatata2112 said:

@stampwithgrace

what this you first stamping after DUI ? Can we have a call ?i am also planning to go to new Delhi for stamping .Kind of worried .

This is not my first stamping. But 4th. 

Check my post in my profile. its quite detailed. in 2017 including this post several folks have had a sucessful stamping. So dont worry too much, but follow the process. 

Allow at least 4 weeks in India and go for stamping the next day you land. Complete the medical panel the same day of the interview. Of course try to minimize excessive drinking from now until the medical :). you don't want that to show up on your medical report. 

As soon as you get the green light to submit passport do it the same day. 

Carry all court documents, police report and do not lie on the DS-160 form. Mark yes to if you were arrested question. They will find out either ways. Let the officer know that it was a one time stupid mistake. 

 

 

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9 hours ago, remremfnov said:

It's interesting that you had to pick up the report and submit it yourself, and that you submitted your passport as well. In my case, the medical report was sent directly from the hospital to the embassy. Could that be the difference between how Chennai and Delhi consulate handles 221(g) for DUI Perhaps(?)

I agree it is stressful, but rest assured you will get it sooner or later. The wait is painful, but sit tight, and find peace in knowing the result will almost definitely be positive :) 

Thanks for detailing this out. 

Congrats again and stay out of trouble now :). 

I am awaiting my results and will post them as soon as I get them. 

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Also it sounds the way DUI cases are handled in each consulate is different. 

in Mumbai we were given a white slip to go to a hospital for a Medical Check up and 5 Business days after the check up submit passport. 

Which I think is good as there was a certainty to submit passport after 5 working days. 

I am not sure if that still holds true but in 2014 that is what they did. 

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18 hours ago, remremfnov said:

It's interesting that you had to pick up the report and submit it yourself, and that you submitted your passport as well. In my case, the medical report was sent directly from the hospital to the embassy. Could that be the difference between how Chennai and Delhi consulate handles 221(g) for DUI Perhaps(?)

I agree it is stressful, but rest assured you will get it sooner or later. The wait is painful, but sit tight, and find peace in knowing the result will almost definitely be positive :) 

@remremfnov @stampwithgrace Guys, my "case last updated" date changed today from Oct' 16 to Nov' 21st. So seems like a good news. I will update tomorrow if status changes from Admin Processing to Issued. I appreciate you guys sharing your experience. It definitely helped me.

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I submitted passport on Friday 11/17/2017 for dropbox for the 4th time after DUI. 

Today I got message on ustraveldocs that passport is on the way but the ceac site says administrative processing. 

I think its a 221g or may be they are calling me in for a interview. 

Very nervous. I was supposed to fly back on Sunday. Looks like I may have to delay it. 

If I understand the system correctly ceac = Administrative Processing and Travel Docs - Return Passport seems like a 221 g and not a approval. 

 

Not sure what to do. I am now going to prepare for a interview. 

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19 hours ago, stampwithgrace said:

Good kuck bro. 

@remremfnov The last updated date changed yesterday but my case status has not changed yet. It is still in "Administrative Processing". Similar thing happened after i submitted my court papers on 10th Oct as the first 221g given in interview asked me to. On 16th Oct, the last updated date changed to current and on 18th Oct I got email to pick up passport with case status still as "Administrative Processing". When i picked my passport, there was a 221g asking me to go for medical. I am more scared now, am i going to be asked for anything else? My passports are already with the embassy? they already checked court & case documents.

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8 hours ago, stampwithgrace said:

I submitted passport on Friday 11/17/2017 for dropbox for the 4th time after DUI. 

Today I got message on ustraveldocs that passport is on the way but the ceac site says administrative processing. 

I think its a 221g or may be they are calling me in for a interview. 

Very nervous. I was supposed to fly back on Sunday. Looks like I may have to delay it. 

If I understand the system correctly ceac = Administrative Processing and Travel Docs - Return Passport seems like a 221 g and not a approval. 

 

Not sure what to do. I am now going to prepare for a interview. 

@stampwithgrace When was the last time you were fingerprinted at OFC here? One of my friend got 221g this october and he was called in just for finger prints. he went for it without appointment and thats it. Prints taken and his visa was approved and received within a few days. I wish that is the case with you. Good luck my friend.

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