Can someone please answer this?

[sam1010]

Why is it that when a waiver is approved in Athens, why do they send it to Washington D.C., instead of sending it to the embassy that the waiver was filed from? Thanks.

[Pinkpig]

Why is it that when a waiver is approved in Athens, why do they send it to Washington D.C., instead of sending it to the embassy that the waiver was filed from? Thanks.

Sam1010,

I have never heard of this happening to anyone.

Could it be that your case is being held up with security checks that are being done by the FBI in Washington, D.C.?

[ladybug1207]

Actually this happened to me recently, I called athens because my file had been missing for 2 months and the lady said that the file goes to America first and then the embassy. I too would like to know why that happened and how long it will be before the embassy receives it!!!!!
she did not say washington..... just America???
please someone enlighten me on where the file could be!!!!

[Pinkpig]

News to me. I cannot add anything. Hoping that others will be able to add more information.

I do remember someone erroneously reporting that files were sent back to the US and then through the diplomatic pouch to the embassy...but that rumor was dispelled...so I don't know...

anyone up for a mystery?

[Ginger]

The only one thing I can say, that in Immigration right hand does not know what left does. What I would suggest you to do- is get congressman involved and ask them to figure out this mess. Even thought if they would not do too much, they would send an official inquiry and that should speed up things a little bit.

Questing for the both of you: did you received an official letter that waiver was approved??? If not- then there is something really tricky there because as well as PinkPig I have never here about such procedure. As far as I know, only an appeal goes to Washington.

Please keep us posted.

[Pinkpig]

One other thing...many times "official people who work at the embassy will tell you things that are not factual just to get you off the phone" I am wondering if you have official paperwork that your file is to be sent to America or if someone just told you that... Also the 202 number gives out mis-leading/erroneous information many times for the same reason.

[DiEHarD3431]

just like ladybug`s case, same thing happened to my file too. When I filed my I-601 to embassy,I find out that, athens received my file 2 months after I filed.The reason I was told, ALL waivers must go to DHS headquartre in Washington D.C. first , they (DHS) review the files if its in right format then sending to the embassy who is in charge for your country. When my I-601 approved , they(athens) sent to embassy with diplomatic punch in same day.2 day later I received mail from athens and one day after that embassy called me for the appointment. I never heard anything like they sending your case to washington again after I601 approved .

[sam1010]

The only thing that i can come up with is maybe they are doing a new security check or something. i really don't know.

[cindy101]

Cracker jacks! I know for a fact that my 601 package went straight from US Embasy in Tirana Alabania to Vienna Austria. (Just in May/June timeframe this year) Did not pass go & sit in DC for a couple of months.

Tirana gave us the option to pay for UPS to have traceability of the package and were honest at least in saying that lots of things get lost, and it might be for the best. W/ UPS tracking I saw the progress of the package from 1 embassy to the other- and it took 10 days from my hubby's apt. to get to the next destination.

Sounds like something is just stinky in Athens. Probably just sitting on the paperwork instead of moving it on timely & they don't want to have to answer to the "why" it is just sitting there.

[ladybug1207]

hey, i am sooo seriously thinking about getting on the phone with rome when they open in the morning , they are over both embassies. and i have gotten in touch with my congressman and shes "waiting on better contacts". every day that passes is one more day that i wont get to see my hubby!!!
my waiver went straight to athens from the embassy when i filed it, it did not go to america first. i will keep yall up with it cuz i am planning on making several inquiries myself in the morning. in the meantime if anyone has any helpful info , i would sure appreciate it!!!!!!!!!

[Ginger]

I also think that there is something very fishy going on in the Athens. Sounds like someone who is on the phone coming up with looooots of excuses on why it takes so long for waivers to get processed.

Mine went from Poland to Vienna, then transferred to Frankfurt. It did not go to the US at all.

From what I know, this is how it suppose to go:

1. get denied at the US Embassy, submit the waiver.

2. waiver send to the Adjudication place ( in same cases the same building as Embassy).

3. BEFORE adjudicator looks at the waiver, they perform check ( security, name check, if they need additional papers, they might require it from the INS ,….)

4. Adjudicator makes a decision.

5. Letter send to the petitioner as well as US Embassy. File kept where it was adjudicated ( I know that because Frankfurt applied a wrong law to our approval letter and Warsaw’s Embassy was contacting Frankfurt again and they were looking in my file there – 1 month after the approval).

6. Go HOME TO THE US!!!!!!!!!!


Nowhere was wavier ( all package) send to the US.
Keep us posted on this mistery.

[tonyr7]

i recently filed 212 and 601 waivers at the sydney, australia consulate
they went direct to bangkok thailand, not the US
perhaps some waivers do get sent back to the US if the adjudicator feels there is missing information
congressionally mandated admin revue could also be the reason why

[sam1010]

Well, I was actually implying on a friends case who was recently approved through Athens. But now they can't find out where their file is?! I just hope and pray that they don't screw up my case. They are currently adjudicating my case, they are waiting on the US to send my husband's file. I hope that when it's approved(and it had better be approved God Willing) that they don't send my file to the wrong place.

[Lulu]

Here's my 2 cents, based on experience. When you submit your package to the embassy, they then have to send it to DHS. This happens via consular post, which means that it doesn't travel direct to the DHS office. Depending on where you are in the world, it will either go through the US, or (if you're on the other side of the world), through the nearest APO location. But when they say it goes through the US, it doesn't actually go to some office and get reviewed, it's just going through the APO system. Kinda like how almost all your FedEx packages go through Tennessee. It's just in transit, going through their hub, that's all. But that transit time can be loooong. When DHS approves it, sometimes it has to go back the same way (that's what Panama did to us), or in offices like Rome, they notify the consulate via email or fax or whatever, and so there is no return-transit time. In my case, it took over a month both ways, plus about 3 months for the fingerprint results, because everything went by snail-mail. Or, in the case of consular post, super-duper-snail-mail.

Bangkok is in a class of its own. I think they do everything via cable. Including the fingerprint processing. Which I don't believe any other office does. Thus the super-speed decisions.

Does that clear things up guys? Make any sense? I hope so, because I lost myself!:rolleyes: