your passport has not been handed to vfs - nov 19 2010

[masscot]

Hello,

I had a successfull interview for my second H1B term in mumbai on nov 19 2010.

The VO asked pretty basic questions and with in 2-3 mins said that my visa has been issued and I should get it with in 3 business days. Now since I did not recieve my passport back until yesterday, I went ahead and checked the "Track my passport" on the vfs site and it gives a status message that "Your passport has not been handed to VFS....". I called the vfs call center and they said to check back later at evening and then told me to check back the next working day(today being a holiday it would be Friday again). In short VFS cannot help or give me any further directions other than checking back.

I am getting a bit nervours since I had my tickets booked to fly back to US next weekend. Has anyone here had a similar issue where there was a delay like this in recieving passport? Please share your experiece or senior members who have and idea about this, please advice.

Thanks in advance.

[shervin143]

It takes anywhere between a week to 10 days to get the passport back. The consulate is closed for couple of more days due o Thanksgiving holidays. So be patient. You will get it back.

[masscot]

Just noticed US embassy is closed on Friday too, thanks for your input..

[VKRAMESH]

Call the consulate @ chennai

Hi Mascot,
I am riding in the same situation as you.

VFS site reports similar status. Yesterday i called the US Consulate @ chennai directly and spoke to a representative. They told me that my H1B petition needs to be PIMS verified and they asked me to call back by mid next week to see if the verification is done.

I have already rebooked my tickets twice ( had my interview on 11/16 ) with hopes that i will get my passport soon. But all in vain ...

I finally cancelled my tickets and decided to wait until i get the passport physically in hand. I suggest you call the consulate and ensure why the delay is , as VFS has no information related to these delays.

Contact Information

U.S. Consulate General
Gemini Circle
Chennai 600 006

Phone: 044-2857-4000
Fax: 044-2811-2020



Operating Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m
Monday – Friday, excluding

[masscot]

Thanks for sharing ramesh.

I am planning on calling them on Monday directly to find out what's going on. Hope your things gets processed soon as well.

[masscot]

Is there a number I can reach mumbai consulate? I have sent them an email but its frustrating that I don't even know why my passport is getting delayed since my friend who appeared for the interview on the same day(nov 19th) has already recieved his passport.

Also, what will be the best way to find out why this process is getting delayed after the VO told that my passport is issued during the interview? I was not given any slips or not told about any additional documents that I needed to submit. Please advice.

[VKRAMESH]

Hi Mascot,
Not sure about Mumbai consulate , but i appeared at Chennai consulate on Nov 16,2010 and still waiting because of PIMS delay. Today is the 9th business day i am waiting.

You can try calling the Kentucky Service Center in US 0012026631225 , and use option 1 and then 0 to talk to a visa specialist. I talked to them yesterday and they said my case is pending PIMS verification.

Note that the wait time to talk to an agent at KCC is like 10 minutes.

This wait is killing ...

[masscot]

I emailed mumbai consulate nov 28th and they replied I will get it soon without any reasoning and timeline. I got my passport back with the stamped visa today.

A friend of mine who's interview was just conducted 10 mins before mine(nov 19) on a different queue inside got his passport the 3rd bussiness day. I have no idea what took so long for them to get my visa but now I dont care to know since I got it.

I wish your situation will be handled soon as well, It can be pretty frustrating for these unexpected delay's. All the Best.

[Deepak622]

Hi Ramesh,
I am in the exact same position as you. Had my visa interview @ Chennai on Nov 16th. The VO told me that he needs to verify my details in the PIMS database. He said the process normally takes 1 business day. As soon as this is done he would approve my visa and I should have my passport back within a week. However I did not receive my passport till today. I had my flight ticket for Nov 22nd but had to cancel it. Following is the information that I have and the steps that I have taken so far.
I have sent emails to the VFS people at the following 2 email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
They directed me to contact the Chennai NIV team at the following email address: [email protected]
The Chennai NIV team told me that my petition details are still not available in the PIMS database and that they will process my case when it becomes available. I am also planning to send an email to: [email protected] with a scanned copy of my I-797 form and see if it helps to make the process faster.
I have also tried to call the Kentucky Consular Center @ 606-526-7500 and the DOS @ 202-663-1225. But none of the steps that I have taken so far have helped.

[VKRAMESH]

Hi
In my case the VO didnt even say my case needs PIMS verification. He said visa granted , passport will be ready in 2-3 days.

When i didnt get my passport i called Chennai consulate and they informed me on PIMS verification. I have also tried all the routes you have tried , all in vain.

Today is the 9th business day since my interview and still waiting.

[Deepak622]

What I gather from other online forums is that the average wait time for PIMS delay cases at Chennai consulate is ~20 days. Based on this I am hoping we may get our passports back next week without further delay. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[VKRAMESH]

Hi Deepak,
My analysis showed PIMS delay at chennai is anywhere between 15-16 business days.

I dont think i can expect any update this week as its thursday already. Problem is as we get closer to December 2010 , the number of people working at the local USCIS office decreases proportionately because of the holiday season.

Waiting with fingers crossed ...

[txh1b]

The frustrating nature of the problem is even with the latest and greatest technology, they can't access the petition with a simple login and password and check on the spot. It baffles me that the applicants are made to wait so long for a simple check of the petition approval even when the original I797 was presented at the interview.

I believe the above feature exists since the PIMS database is automatically updated with every petition approved by USCIS. Unfortunately, there must be a manual element to this as some petitions fail to make it into the database and the verification takes longer.

[stifler]

My passport is handed over to VFS for shipment today

Hi Guys,

I would like to thank the people behind this useful website.

I had my Visa interview on Nov 24th @ chennai consulate. Visa officers had asked my job profile, my paystubs and w2 forms and said my application has not been updated in PIMS systems and it would take 2-3 days to get my passport back with VISA stamped. Monday i called chennai office using the contact number provided here. I was told that there has been delay and it would take 1 week for the PIMS system to get updated. I had my flight booked for 14th Dec and i started worrying after some replys here (not blamming anyone)...

Today i checked my passport status in VFS-USA.co.in and my passport has been handed over to bluedart for delivery. I hope that my reply may help anyone here.. don't panic...the delay may be becoz of thanksgiving holiday....


Cheers,

[VKRAMESH]

that was fast , good for you.

I am 10 days done and still waiting since Nov 16.2010.

Just out of curiosity , what visa category did you apply ? was it a change of status ? When was it approved ?