PIMS Delay

[VKRAMESH]

Guys,
I am in a very unfortunate situation. Came to india on a family emergency ( bereavement ) and now stuck with India because of PIMS verification.

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 @ chennai ) with hopes that i will get my passport soon. But all in vain ... VO said my visa is approved and i will get my passport in 2-3 days.

I finally cancelled my tickets and decided to wait until i get the passport physically in hand.

Can somebody tell me what is the time frame for PIMS verification ?

Is there a option for the canditate to reach out to USCIS or some field office on this regard?

Appreciate any responses ....

[shervin143]

Can somebody tell me what is the time frame for PIMS verification ?
>>> Usually 1-2 weeks.

Is there a option for the canditate to reach out to USCIS or some field office on this regard?
>>> They would have already done that. They would have send a note to USCIS to upload your petition into PIMS. Probaly it is getting delayed because of the ThanksGiving day holidays.

[txh1b]

PIMS verification delay is at the most 2-3 days. The delay might be due to them being closed for the holidays.

[VKRAMESH]

thanks guys ...

i am reading online some horror stories of people who are stuck with PIMS verification for more than 3 weeks.

I hope its not that long , really ...

[txh1b]

It might be name check or Admin processing or TAL list but not PIMS if it took more than a week.

http://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37756

[VKRAMESH]

thank you , the VO didnt give us any slip and in fact didnt even mention my petition needs to be PIMS verified.

All he said is your visa is approved , expect your passport in 2-3 days. I am not sure why i was told my petition needs to be PIMS verified when i called chennai consulate.

I hope mine is not PIMS name check ...

[txh1b]

If the VO told your visa is approved, then it is not PIMS. I think whoever you spoke to there was just trying to get you off the phone. Between the time you attended the interview and now, there have been lot of holidays in India and US. As consulates are closed on both holidays, that might be contributing to the delay.

One time, all visas were delayed as there was some issue with the visa printers!!

[VKRAMESH]

hmm...

my wife who went for the interview the very same day , infact in a different line after me got her passport with visa on 11/23.

if the delay is because of a mechanical problem , then i would have expected her visa issuance to be delayed also. Not to oppose your fact txh1b ( though it sounds convincing to me ) , but throwing my thought out there...

[txh1b]

Was your wife going for a H4 or H1b?

I am not saying it has to be a mechanical problem. I am just mentioning that it has contributed to a delay one time though the reason seems ridiculous and frustrating.

[VKRAMESH]

She also went for H1B.

[VKRAMESH]

8 days and still waiting , for PIMS verification.

[txh1b]

Did you email the consulate? Looks like someone might have forgotten to do what they were supposed to do or took a loong break due to Thanksgiving.

[VKRAMESH]

I am calling them everyday and infact sent an email also. They said my case is on hold until PIMS verification is complete and will be looked at as soon as the petition details are in PIMS.

I called them today and the same lady answered the phone , and said they are following up on the case. I also asked her if its just PIMS verification or any name check. She said just PIMS.

I hate the way this whole system operates. They dont provide the applicant with a timeline and all they say is we dont know...

I even called Kentucky service center and waited 10 mins to talk to a visa officer. She had nothing new to say and she said was its pending PIMS verification.

If this system is to prevent fraudlent applications , why not make the process more streamlined ! Everything about PIMS is a gray area and people have to judge on when they can expect a reponse based on experience posted by other people.

[viddu512]

PIMS not found

Hello,
I'd my H1B Visa interview at hyd consulate yesterday. The personnel at the counter where I was given documents wrote 'PIMS not found' on it (DS-160 confirm page).

During the interview, the VO asked me where I live? role in company? and then typed something on the computer and said that I've to wait as my case is under 'administrative processing'. I was given a questionnaire which I filled and submitted that along with my resume, offer letter and passport and DS-160 confirm page. The person at the counter gave me a case# and asked me to look for the updated status online.

Based on my experience, does anyone have an idea what reason might be due to which they placed my case under 'administrative processing' ?? From what I've seen I'm thinking its because of the PIMS issue. Do you think there are other reasons??