Why does administrative processing takes long

Visa applicants are reminded to apply early for their visas, well in advance of the anticipated travel date. A visa refusal under section g of the Immigration and Nationality Act INA means the applicant did not establish eligibility for a visa to the satisfaction of the consular officer, as is required under U.

When an applicant is refused under g , it means the consular officer determined that the applicant was not eligible for a visa after completing and executing the visa application and any required interview.

It is possible that a consular officer will reconsider a visa application refused under g at a later date, based on additional information or upon the resolution of administrative processing, and determine that the applicant is eligible.

When a consular officer refuses a case under g , she or he will convey to the applicant whether the applicant is required to provide any further documentation or information, or whether the case requires additional administrative processing.

If an application was refused under section g and the consular officer specifically told the applicant to provide documents or information, the applicant should provide a complete response as soon as possible. A consular officer will request additional information when she or he believes the information is relevant to establishing that an applicant is eligible for the visa sought. If the consular officer refuses a visa, but requests additional information, an applicant has one year from the date the visa was refused to submit the additional information.

Otherwise, if an applicant does not provide the required additional information within one year, the applicant will have to reapply for the visa and pay another application fee. If an application was refused and a consular officer indicates administrative processing is required, processing times can vary based on individual circumstances. Information about nonimmigrant visa wait times for interviews and visa processing time frames are shown on this website, as well as on U. It is important to understand that, depending on what the new information is, the case will not necessarily be resolved in your favor, i.

Sometimes a case may be placed in administrative processing because the officer needs to do more investigation on the case, either because there are fraud indicators or some other information is outstanding which only the officer can retrieve, for example, the officer may need to have a discussion with a colleague at another Embassy.

Generally speaking, timelines for work that can be accomplished locally, without reference to Washington, D. If the officer has not asked you to provide information or take some action, your case is likely to be in administrative processing either because the officer is waiting for clearance or because they are conducting a local investigation.

Unfortunately, there is no way to determine which of these applies to you and even if you did know, there is no opportunity to impact the timeline.

It is important to remember that every Embassy or Consulate is required to have a public-facing email address to answer visa queries. If your case has been in administrative processing for a long time, an inquiry from you or your attorney is not only reasonable but may serve to remind the officer that the case needs following up with whatever parties the officer is dealing with on your case. You could consider submitting a second visa application if your case has been in administrative processing for several months.

There are pros and cons of doing this; the decision should be weighed carefully based on individual circumstances, and you should seek advice on your best course of action. Applicants in extremely long administrative processing may wish to consider making a Congressional inquiry, writing the Visa Office in Washington, D. In an extreme case, filing a special writ in federal district court, a writ of mandamus , may compel the Department of State to act on your case.

To find out what your options might be, seek advice. We help employers and individuals, guiding them through the visa application process. If you have a question about administrative processing, or any other US immigration-related matter, please contact us for advice. This article does not constitute direct legal advice and is for informational purposes only.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. I emailed the Juarez Consulate to check If my husbands case is really there…. Still waiting on reply.

The relationship with your lawyer needs to be based on trust. Ask to schedule a meeting with your lawyer to discuss your concerns in detail. If you go away from that meeting without trust that your lawyer is pursuing your best interests, it may be time to schedule an appointment with another lawyer to get a second opinion. Dear Gary, I applied for B1 visa for attending a meeting in US on september 09, after the interview the visa officer said to me that your application is approved, you would receive email from us.

He gave me a blue color letter on which it was mentioned that your visa will be ready in five working days. Should I wait for 60 days after interview or just wrote a query to them. What could be the possible reason for this. Additionally, previously I was issued a B1 visa one year validity which expires last year. And I travelled to US two times on that visa. I am waiting on my husbands H4 visa case pending for the past 8 months under g admin processing.

Can one have the admin processing process continue and get the passport back from the US consulate in the meanwhile and resubmit it when visa decision has been made?

If so, can you please tell me what is the procedure to contact the consulate about the same. Hi Gary, I sponsored my mother, who is 71 years old, to immigrate to the States. After her interview at the end of May , the consular officer in HoChiMinh City, Vietnam, gave her a paper requesting additional documents related to her Communist Party membership. With no interest in membership and realizing that membership may be an obstacle to getting the visa, my mother quit the party.

On August 31, , she submitted the paper work proving that she is no longer a member. The Consulate says we just need to wait. Should we contact the Consulate again? In your experience, do you know how long does it take for such case to be resolved? My Mom is old and lives by herself in Vietnam. To avoid unnecessary delay, you may want to speak with our firm or another qualified lawyer to see if the materials you submitted to the Embassy are sufficient to prove your case.

If not further evidence may be helpful. For more about immigrant visa ineligibility due to communist party membership, see here. Is it wise to retrieve passport while my visa application is undergoing administrative processing? Does it affect the outcome? First officer said that my visa was approved. Then I got e-mail, that is about I am under administrative process AP and in a few days they sent my passport without visa. One week later my status changed, embassy sent e-mail and they said AP completed.

After that I sent my passport to the embassy for visa issue. One week later they called me and said my status changed and I am again under AP. The problem is my fellowship started on December 1st, I should be there. Two times AP for same visa application. The Consular officer took my passport and told me that my case will undergo administrative processing. If your case is undergoing administrative processing AP , it means that the Consulate is investigating something about your case.

But the visa may be issued at the conclusion of the investigation. The officer returned his passport and told him to wait for AP. Visa Delays. About Visa Processing Wait Times — Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants Information about nonimmigrant visa wait times for interviews and visa processing time frames are shown on the U. Search for:.