US Travel Docs Passport Tracking

Understanding Administrative Processing After Visa Interview

Consular officers may issue non-immigrant visas during or shortly after the visa interview. The Consular Officer may also issue a 221(g) notice, refusing to issue the visa and requesting a further review. "Administrative Processing" referso this review. Sometimes, the applicant may track their passport after the interview, and the visa may be sent for Administrative Processing. US travel docs passport tracking is an essential step which can be done on your behalf by efficient providers like Techfetch H1B. Let us discuss the administrative processing in the article below.

What is Administrative Processing?

The Consular Officer sends the embassy/consulate visa for administrative processing. Administrative processing indicates the following:

  1. Checks for criminal convictions, security risks, immigration violations, or other anomalies

  2. Whether the applicant's case will be delayed.

The US Department of State Visa Office works with other agencies to verify that visa applicants with security risks are not eligible for the requested visa or are not admissible to the US.

When a visa application is selected for administrative processing, the applicant receives a letter stating that the case is on hold until eligibility is determined. Sometimes, but not usually, the letter asks the visa applicant to submit more information or evidence. Here are additional visa details.

A Brief on Additional Visa Details to Be Submitted

If the applicant has not received a letter confirming that the matter has been forwarded for administrative processing, they should contact the embassy. The Non-immigrant Visa Application (DS-160) submitted for administrative processing does not indicate that it was denied. Visa eligibility is not assessed when an application is submitted for administrative processing. The request may be granted if no difficulties are found during the administrative review. Consular officers decide on final approval.

Judgments are made on a case-by-case basis, and a negative result cannot be challenged in a US court. Administrative processing has unpredictable processing times. According to the US Department of State, most administrative processing cases are completed within 60 days of the visa interview. Average administrative wait times vary by consulate location. The conditions of the visa applicant may affect the waiting time for administrative processing.

The administrative procedure is not contestable. Additional documents must be delivered to the consulate office or by post. When the administrative process takes too long, the applicant can consult an immigration attorney. The immigration attorney can address administrative concerns.

If the consular office associated with your application has a website, check it for status inquiry instructions. The US Department of State website allows applicants to check their visa status. Here is the website. Applicants can check the status of the case by calling 202-485-7600. When calling DOS, applicants must provide their name, date of birth, passport number, and where and when the visa application was submitted.

After 60 days from the visa interview or submitting supporting documents, email the embassy handling the visa application. Administrative wait times vary. Before asking, check the consulate's website. If the matter has been pending for more than 90 days, an attorney can email or call 202-485-7600 to consult.

How to Know if an Application Will Be Administratively Processed

Residents or nationalities of these nations are likely to be administratively processed: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia or Yemen.

Visa applicants must be verified by name. The names of visa applicants are checked against databases. CLASS is the US Department of State's main surveillance database. Administrative proceedings may be required if an applicant's name is similar to someone suspected of criminal or terrorist activity.

If the US Embassy knows that the applicant is linked to any human rights crimes or anti-US, then the possibility of administrative processing is likely. This does not apply if the enrolment was involuntary, solely when under the age of 16, by operation of law, in order to obtain employment, food, or essentials of living, or if the enrolment or affiliation ended two or five years before a visa application.

Administrative processing protects national security. The Department of State maintains a TAL. The TAL includes critical scientific and technological fields. The TAL prevents exporting sensitive products, technology, or information through graduate study, teaching, research, training, or employment.

The Takeaway

Finally, while applying for a visa, do not hesitate to perform the US travel docs passport tracking with the help of one of the popular immigration service providers like Techfetch H1B.

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