Approved B1/B2 Visa held for $10k Bond in Ottawa – Seeking advice on the new World Cup Waiver processing times

Hi everyone,

PLEASE HELP ME FULFILL MY DREAM OF WATCHING MY COUNTRY AT THE WC!

I am an Algerian citizen currently residing in Canada, and I am facing a very stressful situation regarding my U.S. B1/B2 visa for the FIFA World Cup 2026. I am looking for advice, similar experiences, or insights from anyone dealing with the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

My Case Timeline & Background:

• February 2026: I had my B1/B2 interview at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. The officer told me my profile was approved, but my visa was placed on hold under a Visa Bond requirement ($10,000) because of my nationality.
• Current CEAC Status: Because of this pending bond action, my online CEAC status has been set to "Refused" since February. This is the standard placeholder for bonds, and I still have my physical passport with me.
• April 15, 2026: Before the deadline, I officially registered on the FIFA PASS platform and I hold valid, official World Cup match tickets.
• May 13, 2026: The U.S. Department of State officially announced a joint policy with FIFA, completely waiving the visa bond requirement for World Cup ticket holders who registered via FIFA PASS.

The Current Bottleneck:

Because of this new law, I obviously did not pay the $10,000 bond. However, the Ottawa Embassy needs to manually update my file from "Refused" to "Issued" and send me the Courier Authorization Certificate to mail in my passport.

Actions I Have Already Taken:

1. Sent an email to OttawaNIV@state.gov using the mandatory Canadian Visa Navigator format: Subject: V88 - [MY NAME] - OTHER QUESTION, containing all my tracking numbers and attaching my DS-160, official match ticket, and FIFA PASS PDF. But got NO RESPONSE and it's been more then 2 weeks!!!!!!
2. Tried calling the hotlines, but it's impossible to reach a human agent directly at the Ottawa location (only pre-recorded messages).

My Questions for the Community:

1. Has anyone who was hit with a Visa Bond successfully gotten it waived under the new May 13 World Cup policy yet?
2. If you are dealing with the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, what are the current manual processing/response times for the V88 / Other Question email queue?

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. The clock is ticking and the silence from the embassy is incredibly stressful! Thank you.