Visa: Further Administration Processing. Sound Familiar?

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hi,
My visa interview was quite alright except for a little snag. He asked me why my grandfather and not my father was paying the costs, I struggled a bit to explain it fully but I managed to communicate that that my father had only recently received a better paying job.
He looked at my SAT scores and transcripts and all, asked me about the college and why I'd chosen it and looked at the I-20. He also asked me about my siblings and I told them that I was the only son. And that was about it. Apart from all the typing of course.
Then he said that they would keep my passport for further administration processing and would notify me later. </p>

<p>Is anyone familiar with this situation? The website doesn't say a whole lot. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>BumpBumpBump</p>

3

<p>You <em>want</em> the consulate to keep your passport after the interview: they will put in a visa foil and then mail it back to you.</p>

4

<p>Yes but he didn’t say if it was approved or denied. People were being told if theirs were. Thats why I’m a bit worried.</p>

5

<p>BumpBumpBump</p>

6

<p>

Did you ask for clarification before you left?</p>

7

<p>No I didn’t ask for any clarification.</p>

8

<p>“Administrative processing” can mean anything. My best guess is that your interviewer simply forgot to say the words ‘your visa will be approved’ and you were too scared to ask. I consider it a good sign that they kept your passport because they would not need to keep it to deny your visa or run an extended background check (which takes on the order of a year).</p>

9

<p>Alright, thanks. BTW, what may consist of a thorough background check? Emails, tweets, facebook?</p>

10

<p>No,not facebook or anything like that.He will be checking to see whether you supplied correct information e.g. whether you <em>lied</em> about anything,whether your documentation(eg transcripts,bank statements etc)are legitimate.Your family’s history with US immigration may also be traced(ex. did any of your relatives overstay in the US/violate visa regulations/commit crimes etc)</p>

11

<p>A few - very few - visa applicants get flagged for further screening, e.g. if you share a family name with a known terrorist. Then they might dissect your life history and run you through any criminal database that they have access to. But that’s really not a concern for most people.</p>

12

<p>Alright, thanks guys :)</p>

13

<p>Important detail: He didn’t give me any form. No pink or white or blue or whatever.</p>

14

<p>Less important detail: I think he might have said additional processing, which I assume is the same thing.</p>

15

<p>bumpbumpbump</p>

16

<p>Relax. You’ll get your passport with visa mailed to you soon enough.</p>

17

<p>Alright. Thanks m8.</p>

18

<p>Adminitrative processing can take as long as one year. </p>

<p>If the embassy has problem with your information especially if they find something suspicious like some one of your name involving in terrorism and other activities, then this could happen. You would have to be patient and keep phoning the embassy from time to time. As said, it may take even more than a year in the worst case scenario!</p>

19

<p>Exactly 2 weeks after the interview, I got the visa.</p>

20

<p>Congratulations! Good luck at college this fall!</p>