Generally speaking, an officer would make a “soft” denial as opposed to a “hard” denial, thereby putting the case in administrative processing, because:
- They lack some information or a clearance at that moment; and
- They believe that the information or clearance is forthcoming, and once it is received, they will overcome the denial and grant the visa.
How long does US visa administrative processing take?
How long will administrative processing take? Processing times are unpredictable. According to the U.S. Department of State, most administrative processing cases conclude 60 days or less after the visa interview. However, the average wait time for administrative processing can vary depending on where the consulate is located.
How long does it take to process my immigration application?
The receipt notice confirms that USCIS has received your application, and USCIS will usually send it 2 to 3 weeks after you submit your application. You may not have received a receipt notice for many reasons.
Does administrative processing constitute a refusal of a visa?
In such cases, refused visa applications warrant further administrative processing. Upon completion of the case-specific administrative processing, the consular officer might conclude that an applicant is now qualified for the visa for which he or she applied. Alternatively, the officer may conclude that the applicant remains ineligible for a visa.
How to expedite your immigrant visa case?
- List the NVC case number & invoice number in the subject line and in the body of the email.
- List NVC Expedite Request in the subject line and in the body of the email.
- List the beneficiary’s full name and date of birth in the body of the email.
- List the petitioner’s full name and date of birth in the body of the email.
How long is administrative processing for immigrant visa?
60 daysProcessing times are unpredictable. According to the U.S. Department of State, most administrative processing cases conclude 60 days or less after the visa interview. However, the average wait time for administrative processing can vary depending on where the consulate is located.
What does administrative processing mean in CEAC?
Administrative Processing Please follow any instructions provided by the consular officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed back within two business days.
What is the next status after administrative processing?
Upon completion of the case-specific administrative processing, the consular officer might conclude that an applicant is now qualified for the visa for which he or she applied. Alternatively, the officer may conclude that the applicant remains ineligible for a visa.
Is administrative processing same as refusal?
A visa application under “administrative processing” will be deemed “refused” unless and until the application is overturned.
How long will administrative processing take?
DOS has stated that their goal is to complete administrative processing within a 60-day period. In recent experience, however, some administrative processing cases may take months. The period of time taken will vary based on individual circumstances. If this happens, the HIO is unable to expedite the clearance process.
Is administrative processing random?
Administrative Processing may be applied randomly to international students and scholars from certain countries and/or from certain fields (usually STEM fields) who are applying for a visa. The U.S. Embassy/Consulate may request a security clearance of anyone, prior to issuing an initial or extension of visa.
Does every visa go through administrative processing?
Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant's interview by a consular officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of the visa interview.
Can I get my passport back during administrative processing?
During administrative processing, the consular post retains the applicant's passport. If urgent travel is required, the applicant may request for the passport to be returned temporarily and resume the processing of the visa application at a later time.
What happens if my administrative review is successful?
If you request an administrative review and your request is successful, but you are granted a longer period of immigration permission than you applied for, you will be required to pay an IHS for each additional half year of immigration permission. Refunds should be made to the card you used to pay the fee.
Will I be notified if my visa is refused?
If denied a visa, in most cases the applicant is notified of the section of law which applies. Visa applicants are also advised by the consular officer if they may apply for a waiver of their ineligibility. Several of the most common reasons for visa ineligibilities are explained below.
How do you know if US visa is approved after interview?
At the end of your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, the consular officer will inform you whether your visa application is approved or denied. Visa approval - When approved, you will be informed how and when your passport and visa will be returned to you.
How long does the U.S. Embassy keep a record of visa denials?
Paper DS-156 records are maintained for eleven years from the date of last action.
Does every visa go through administrative processing?
Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant's interview by a consular officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of the visa interview.
What happens if my administrative review is successful?
If you request an administrative review and your request is successful, but you are granted a longer period of immigration permission than you applied for, you will be required to pay an IHS for each additional half year of immigration permission. Refunds should be made to the card you used to pay the fee.
Can I get my passport back during administrative processing?
During administrative processing, the consular post retains the applicant's passport. If urgent travel is required, the applicant may request for the passport to be returned temporarily and resume the processing of the visa application at a later time.
How long does 221g administrative processing take?
around 3-4 weeksIn most cases, 221g administrative processing will be completed within 60 days—typically around 3-4 weeks. In some instances, however, some 221g processing times can take many months or even over a year. Note that you will likely be asked not to inquire about your case for at least 180 days.
What does administrative processing mean in immigration?
What does “Administrative Processing” mean in Immigration? When applying for a visa to the United States, many applicants worry about their “administrative processing” status. Some think this means they are doomed for denial. Others are just confused as to why there is a delay. In this article, we will briefly explain what administrative processing ...
What to do if the processing time for your local office has passed?
If the processing time for your local office has passed, you can contact your attorney to see about inquiring on the status of your case with the consulate.
How to prevent delays in consular processing?
To prevent further delays, comply with any document requests from the consular office as soon as possible. Remember, the time it takes for you to gather your information is outside the processing time.
How long does it take to get a security clearance?
How long it takes to process your security clearance depends on the consular office you attended. Some offices have processing times of 60 days, and others require more time. You can contact your local consular office (start by checking their website) for their administrative processing time.
Do you need a background check for a visa?
Sometimes, the consular office will require a background check to process your visa. This is an extra step in the visa application process caused by either a database match or a trigger in your application or interview.
Is there a way to expedite administrative review?
This means it is an additional time that is added on to the normal visa processing time. There is also no way to expedite the process of administrative review.
Why is a case placed in administrative processing?
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.
What is the purpose of a visa interview?
When you attend your a visa interview, your visa is being adjudicated by a Department of State consular officer. Consular officers are required to make a decision on a case at the conclusion of the interview. In other words, a positive or negative decision has to be entered by the officer at that time; no case can remain in unadjudicated status.
How long will administrative processing take?
Processing times are unpredictable. According to the U.S. Department of State, most administrative processing cases conclude 60 days or less after the visa interview. However, the average wait time for administrative processing can vary depending on where the consulate is located. Administrative processing wait time can also be impacted by the individual circumstances surrounding the visa applicant’s case.
What is the purpose of “Administrative Processing”?
Department of State with the cooperation of other government agencies to ensure that a visa applicant is not a security risk and the he/she is not ineligible for the requested visa or otherwise inadmissible to the U.S.
What should an applicant do if a case is placed in administrative processing without any written notice?
If the applicant has not received a letter stating that the case has been sent for administrative processing, he/she should contact the consulate or consulate official to inquire whether the visa application has been sent for administrative processing.
How to know if an application is likely to be sent for administrative processing?
Country of nationality: Residents or nationals of the following countries are more likely to be subject to administrative processing: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates or Yemen
Where can I find more information on administrative processing?
For more information about the administrative processing, visit the U.S. Dept. of State’s web page on administrative process ing by clicking here.
How to check status of US visa application?
Applicants can also check the status of their case by calling the U.S. Dept. of State Visa Office at 202-485-7600. When calling DOS, applicants must provide all relevant information relating to their case, including their name, date of birth, passport number, where and when the applicant submitted the visa application.
How to check visa status?
If the consular post associated with your application has a website, view the consular website to determine if there are any instructions on how to make a status inquiry. Also, the U.S. Dept. of State has a website that lets applicants check the status of their visas.
What is administrative processing?
Administrative processing is a catch-all term for all post-interview processing before a final visa decision is made. Any case that is otherwise approvable on its face, but has an open, unresolved issue is referred to administrative processing.
Why is administrative processing so frustrating?
Typically this is caused by a consular post waiting for a response on some form of advisory opinion. Although, as was experienced in 2014 and 2015, processing delays may also result from system failures in the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) and more recently due to additional administrative hurdles such as the recent flurry of executive orders regarding visa issuance.
Why are consular officers encouraged to increase scrutiny on cases potentially impacted by lengthy administrative processing?
The unintended results of all of these delays is even more frustrating: Consular officers are encouraged to increase scrutiny on cases potentially impacted by lengthy administrative processing in order to come up with a basis for pretextual denial – similar to we see at DHS in CARRP and TRIG cases. The only exception to this is when DHS wants to carrying out additional CARRP or TRIG review, but is intentionally doing its work behind the shield of consular non-reviewability, at which point it will tell the post to hold the case.
How to contact the NVC for a non-immigrant visa?
For non-immigrant visas contact the Department’s Visa Office. For immigrant visas reach out to the NVC and make sure the case hasn’t been sent back (some embassies are horrible about sending notices on this).
When to update documents for immigrant visa?
For immigrant visa and petition-based cases you will also want to update these documents when it goes to the NVC and again at the consular stage. Thus you optimize the possibility that the consular officer receives the relevant information or that the relevant information is readily available to whatever agency will be doing the necessary investigations and will make a final decision for your client.
How to reduce processing time for gang name checks?
For example, if your client is from El Salvador and has a relatively common name, you can reduce processing times related to name checks for gang members by providing contextual information for your client such as the names of close friends and family members in order to differentiate from potential HITS. Similarly, if your client is from a high immigrant visa fraud country such as Vietnam, you will want to spend extra time establishing your client’s relationships in order to remove all doubt. While for Somalis, you will need to satisfy additional identity requirements by providing more information and documentation establishing consistent use of the same identity for the last 5 to 15 years, preferably using documents that do not originate in Somalia.
When is a visa bear issued?
Visas Bear is issued immediately after a foreign government official, representative to international organization, or their families are issued a visa.