why this AP is only for selected applicants and no sign of any help from anywhere.

[A1b2c3 1]

Wow 8 months is a lot to, our AP has been only 4 months now and time is passing by so slow , ALLAH knows how much more time we have left , they use to give visa on the spot, now days cause of situation they take so much time , it's all about luck , who ever case goes to there hands they get, my last update on there website is April 23, 2013, and since that time it hasn't been updated , I am really confused , don't know if I should wait for some more time , or should I go back to the states , I have had 2 miscariages in the past 9 months , I guess that was in my luck, lets see what happends further , hoping for some good news from my husband visa , to get some good news , been in very bad depression , hope this AP gets to an end

[carolynhotstuff 252]

Grace I am sorry that you are going through so much. I have never heard of the Pakistani embassy not giving someone a visitors visa. Maybe if you were going there to get married they would have given you the visa. My husband and I have spent over 2 years in AP. They asked for new documents, a medical and other things in March yet we remain in AP.

If your congressman won't help you then contact your Senator but the congressman is right the embassy will contact you when your AP is over or they need new documents. It does seem as if the embassy does not want to approve the visas and so they drag out the process hoping the couple will give up. I often think that even someone in prison knows when they will get out but in AP we are treated worse than criminals.

I pray that all of us stuck in AP will get out soon.

[A1b2c3 1]

Wow 2 years ?that's a lot of time , may ALLAH make an end to your AP , so your husband can get a visa right on the spot, so you both can go to USA

[virgo2012 12]

8 months is AP now , and I will agree the most aggravating part is not having a time limit . You have no idea if you will be in AP for years just to receive a denial. The whole process in crazy and our lives are on hold. I understand the necessity of security checks , but there is no possible way it could take 8 months to runs somebody's background. You supply with them with education information , work history ,and previous addresses for the last ten years you have already gave them the majority of the information they need. I seriously believe they don't want to approve the visa , they are dragging the process out so that the couple will lose faith and possible separate or give up. To make the situation worse , i applied for a tourist visa to visit my love in Pakistan , and was denied after 3 months of waiting with no reason. When I asked why I was denied they responded " we don't know , and we cant tell you ".

My congressman is also no help . In the beginning he offered to write the consulate and inquire about the status of my case. Islamabad replied

"Your case is currently undergoing AP , There is no way to know how long this will take .When it is complete we will contact you" One month later I asked my congressman to inquire again. my congressman said " There is no need, they will contact you when its over". I was so surprised . Just because the embassy wrote this stupid email , now my fiance and I are suppose to wait until the end of time ..... until the embassy is ready to contact us? It seems there should be a set limit , a place to complain , someone to help!!!

i totally agree with you guys that its a painfull part of visa process,if they are not ready to issue the visa than why are they conducting interviews and taking all the fees.they must have to finish the ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING first and when they finish all the security checks and watever they do in AP than they call for interview and whatever they have in their mind or they have any information coming up during AP they need to ask the question during the interview.wel they are just playing nowadays specially with pakistani immigrants and couples not issuning the visa,they have to stick on their wording what they use at the end of interview that you will get visa in 3 to 6 months,but they are just liar,i been told at the end of interview that you can get your visa in about 3 to 6 months but its 10th month in AP and last update was march 26,no one is there to help embassy only copy and paste the same email,even senator,congressman and president obama they have standard reply that we cant do anything cause your case is in AP.now what this is the unique immigration process where after the interview you never know that you will be waiting and AP for years and your result may come up DENIAL or noir or noid .this is just ridiculous.some one have to wake up there in USA to help us make some protest or write to media that why our families are been punished because they are pakistanis or you just want to play games with the pakistani immigrants.....GOD help all of us so we can get rid of AP.

8 months is AP now , and I will agree the most aggravating part is not having a time limit . You have no idea if you will be in AP for years just to receive a denial. The whole process in crazy and our lives are on hold. I understand the necessity of security checks , but there is no possible way it could take 8 months to runs somebody's background. You supply with them with education information , work history ,and previous addresses for the last ten years you have already gave them the majority of the information they need. I seriously believe they don't want to approve the visa , they are dragging the process out so that the couple will lose faith and possible separate or give up. To make the situation worse , i applied for a tourist visa to visit my love in Pakistan , and was denied after 3 months of waiting with no reason. When I asked why I was denied they responded " we don't know , and we cant tell you ".

My congressman is also no help . In the beginning he offered to write the consulate and inquire about the status of my case. Islamabad replied

"Your case is currently undergoing AP , There is no way to know how long this will take .When it is complete we will contact you" One month later I asked my congressman to inquire again. my congressman said " There is no need, they will contact you when its over". I was so surprised . Just because the embassy wrote this stupid email , now my fiance and I are suppose to wait until the end of time ..... until the embassy is ready to contact us? It seems there should be a set limit , a place to complain , someone to help!!!

i totally agree with you guys that its a painfull part of visa process,if they are not ready to issue the visa than why are they conducting interviews and taking all the fees.they must have to finish the ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING first and when they finish all the security checks and watever they do in AP than they call for interview and whatever they have in their mind or they have any information coming up during AP they need to ask the question during the interview.wel they are just playing nowadays specially with pakistani immigrants and couples not issuning the visa,they have to stick on their wording what they use at the end of interview that you will get visa in 3 to 6 months,but they are just liar,i been told at the end of interview that you can get your visa in about 3 to 6 months but its 10th month in AP and last update was march 26,no one is there to help embassy only copy and paste the same email,even senator,congressman and president obama they have standard reply that we cant do anything cause your case is in AP.now what this is the unique immigration process where after the interview you never know that you will be waiting and AP for years and your result may come up DENIAL or noir or noid .this is just ridiculous.some one have to wake up there in USA to help us make some protest or write to media that why our families are been punished because they are pakistanis or you just want to play games with the pakistani immigrants.....GOD help all of us so we can get rid of AP.

Wow 2 years ?that's a lot of time , may ALLAH make an end to your AP , so your husband can get a visa right on the spot, so you both can go to USA

yes thats the real face of us embassy islamabad couples are waiting here for years and you never know that after the long waiting what will be the outcome..just ridiculous.

[virgo2012 12]

Wow 8 months is a lot to, our AP has been only 4 months now and time is passing by so slow , ALLAH knows how much more time we have left , they use to give visa on the spot, now days cause of situation they take so much time , it's all about luck , who ever case goes to there hands they get, my last update on there website is April 23, 2013, and since that time it hasn't been updated , I am really confused , don't know if I should wait for some more time , or should I go back to the states , I have had 2 miscariages in the past 9 months , I guess that was in my luck, lets see what happends further , hoping for some good news from my husband visa , to get some good news , been in very bad depression , hope this AP gets to an end

see the reason is that no one is no where to help in AP.at the end of interview co told me 3 to 6 months but its 10th month so you never know how long more beacuse they dont know when they will touch your file.we need a miracle from ALLAH nuthing else.

[A1b2c3 1]

I think Virgo is very mad today ?, it's ok man have patience , ALLAH will bless you with many many happiness for you having so much Sabar , inshallah don't worry , we will get good news

[Boiler 43,392]

i totally agree with you guys that its a painfull part of visa process,if they are not ready to issue the visa than why are they conducting interviews and taking all the fees.they must have to finish the ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING first and when they finish all the security checks and watever they do in AP than they call for interview and whatever they have in their mind or they have any information coming up during AP they need to ask the question during the interview.wel they are just playing nowadays specially with pakistani immigrants and couples not issuning the visa,they have to stick on their wording what they use at the end of interview that you will get visa in 3 to 6 months,but they are just liar,i been told at the end of interview that you can get your visa in about 3 to 6 months but its 10th month in AP and last update was march 26,no one is there to help embassy only copy and paste the same email,even senator,congressman and president obama they have standard reply that we cant do anything cause your case is in AP.now what this is the unique immigration process where after the interview you never know that you will be waiting and AP for years and your result may come up DENIAL or noir or noid .this is just ridiculous.some one have to wake up there in USA to help us make some protest or write to media that why our families are been punished because they are pakistanis or you just want to play games with the pakistani immigrants.....GOD help all of us so we can get rid of AP.

There is no point in doing a security check on someone who does not qualify for whatever visa they have applied for.

Everybody is checked, it is just for some Countries it takes longer than others. Such factors include but probably not limited to local conditions and the ease with which such checking can be done.

[A1b2c3 1]

Man I am so sick and tired of this AP that I can't even explain , my heart is melting I haven't seen my family for almost 1 year, and it's hard to leave my husband to , may ALLAH forgive us if we have done Anyyhing wrong or said anything wrong , may he bless us all we visa has anyone got any good news yet?

[virgo2012 12]

Man I am so sick and tired of this AP that I can't even explain , my heart is melting I haven't seen my family for almost 1 year, and it's hard to leave my husband to , may ALLAH forgive us if we have done Anyyhing wrong or said anything wrong , may he bless us all we visa has anyone got any good news yet?

pardon my words mam but your husbands AP is in the 4th month and you are tired think about me and those who are for a long time without any future prediction.see its my 10th month thats why i gone mad.please please my thoughts to you is that stay calm and start forget this process for a while live your life normal,hopefully that day will come for what we are waiting.read namaz 5 times and you will see that you will be ok........no stress please no tension please and no thinking...just stay positive and normall...hope you will see the real difference........................

i hope you have realised now that why i gone mad in previous post..

[A1b2c3 1]

Don't know what these embassy ppl do all day, I haven't seen any good news on VJ yet, I am shoucked that these ppl even send interview dates to us, that's good that they get free for that , anyways may ALLAH give us Sabar , that's all we can do

[virgo2012 12]

I'm really curious to know what exactly happens when one applies for visa in a U.S. consulate (in Canada or India for example). Why some people have to go through additional administrative process, and why the process could take so long? Why do they repeat the administrative process again if you leave the country for even one day? Why no one cares about all the complaints of people who are stuck out of the country away from their loved ones? (Just search google for "221g administrative processing canada" for example!)

Administrative processing, officially referred to as Security Advisory Opinion (SAO), could be a most frustrating process for US visa applicants. The Office of the Secretary of State for Visa Services maintains, though, that it is a necessary process for sifting out terrorists, spies, and unscrupulous people that illegally transfer sensitive technologies. It also claims it only affects 2% of applicants, so if you're unlucky to be chosen, be prepared to wait 12-360 days for a response, which might be a revocation of your previously approved visa. Most times, though, you would be approved.

What they do during administrative processing is pretty much background checks. Based on your background, application data or, specifically, nationality, you will be assigned one or more categories or class:

Visas Mantis: (potential illegal transfer of sensitive technology)
Visas Bear (for foreign government officials, representatives to international organizations, and their families)
Visas Donkey (name hits, certain nationalities)
Visas Merlin (for refugees and asylees)
Visas Eagle (certain nationals of Cuba, China, Russia, Iran, Vietnam)
Visas Condor (certain nationalities e.g Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates,Yemen.)
Visas Hawk (for immigrant visas).
Visas Horse (diplomatic visa holders of certain nationalities)
Visas Pegasus (officials of Commonwealth of Independent States)

Afterward, your information is forwarded to the pertinent agencies for a very thorough check-- mostly FBI. Others could be CIA, DEA, U.S. Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Interpol, and the Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.

This is where the delay really occurs. If everything goes well, you can have your approved visa in as little as three weeks, but if there is a problem of any sort, a delay could be anything from 30days to 360days. The most painful part is that you dont know exactly how long it's going to take, and there are no step by step updates, so you are stuck in a timeless time of waiting. Here are some reasons for delay:

1. Errors in the visa submission : The US Embassy from the country you are applying might mistakenly submit your information in a wrong format (different from what the agencies want), so the agency returns the data to the embassy. This obviously prolongs the security check and approval process. This situation happens every now and then, but it seems that the various agencies are working to standardize the submission format, which would help reduce such mistakes.

2. False Hits(Especially for Visas Mantis and Visas Condor): If your name matches that of someone on the FBI's (or any other agency's) list, you will be subjected to more scrutiny till you are either cleared or marked as a concern to security. Imagine if you are from a country with many identical names, this process will take much longer for you, and this accounts for most of the average processing time differences across various countries.

3. Visa Burden: If you apply at a peak time, when a lot of people are seeking to travel, this process will obviously take much longer. The agencies do not have enough personnel to deal with the spike, so they just do the best they can. Sometimes there are even backlogs, and this is why some people dont get their visas for more than a year. More so, the agencies prioritize certain visa classes, therefore when there is an overload, certain requests are sidelined. For example, the FBI prioritizes Visas Condor and Visas Mantis.


4. Hits: If your name and information submitted by the Embassy matches the one in any agency's database, then you might want to forget about traveling any time soon because they will resort to fetching as much information as they possibly could. This would take a long time since they might have to request information from other non-related sources-- sometimes this could require judicial approval. In addition, some agencies are yet to centralize their information storage systems, which means that it could be necessary to request
paper files from branch offices. If you are considered a security threat, the agency will write a security advisory opinion on you and then send it back to the State for Visa Services, who then revokes your visa.


The biggest problem of the waiting process is that you do not have any access to the nature of the delay. You could call the consular a million times, and they would say the same exact thing-- "your application is undergoing administrative processing..." While the reasons of establishing such procedure is understandable, it seems inhumane to put people in the prison of time just because they want to travel to the United States-- mostly to add to economic or/and intellectual growth of the nation. It is thus evident that the US government, especially in the context of this problem, is yet to realize the delicate balance between securing borders and opening doors.

Is the government aware of the pains this process causes to applicants? Apparently, they are aware, and they say they are working towards a faster and better system-- although they admit that it will always be thorough and thus protracted. But the good news is that there are signs of improvement. The agencies and State for Visa Services are working towards a more efficient partnership in order to streamline the process. The agencies are hiring more personnel and upgrading their technology tools to meet the demand for visa checks. Hopefully, things will get better in the coming years.

However, it is important for visa applicants to apply well ahead of their intended travel date if possible. This gives some cushion for the time required for the processing just in case such applicants are picked. And for those who are stuck in the timeless time of administrative processing, I encourage them to remain hopeful, and in unusually long cases, consult an attorney, contact a senator, or an organization such as the International Visa Office for individuals in the scientific community (including students)

[virgo2012 12]

Don't know what these embassy ppl do all day, I haven't seen any good news on VJ yet, I am shoucked that these ppl even send interview dates to us, that's good that they get free for that , anyways may ALLAH give us Sabar , that's all we can do

no one is there to ask them not even president of USA,so they are free to do whatever they want,no one is getting approval every one is stuck.....yes yes we are doing only sabar,sabar and sabar...and waiting for the turn...

[virgo2012 12]

“Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful...”

[Ravian2971 4]

dear brothers . i am doing business in malaysia i am from pakistan. i apply my green card under spouse visa h1 b2.from APR 2011 my interview was on 6 June 2013. in islambad embassy.interview got very nice they take fingure prints .outh and my pictures sign on d s 230 form give me bruchers welcome USA and detail paper of information of legal rights i was thinking it is done evry thing perfect but in the end consulate officer give me green sheet my case is under AP .i want to ask how long it will take to get visa . bcz i am waiting so long time to start my married life its is completely very difficult to face..plz give me detail answer bcz they update my case number 5 time untill now.would you please explaine how long it will take.

Additional information

they keep my passport also. i want to ask . if i mail to ask my passport back its will more long then normal bcz if it is too late i will go back and continue my business.plz explaine me detail - ed

[virgo2012 12]

dear brothers . i am doing business in malaysia i am from pakistan. i apply my green card under spouse visa h1 b2.from APR 2011 my interview was on 6 June 2013. in islambad embassy.interview got very nice they take fingure prints .outh and my pictures sign on d s 230 form give me bruchers welcome USA and detail paper of information of legal rights i was thinking it is done evry thing perfect but in the end consulate officer give me green sheet my case is under AP .i want to ask how long it will take to get visa . bcz i am waiting so long time to start my married life its is completely very difficult to face..plz give me detail answer bcz they update my case number 5 time untill now.would you please explaine how long it will take.

Additional information

they keep my passport also. i want to ask . if i mail to ask my passport back its will more long then normal bcz if it is too late i will go back and continue my business.plz explaine me detail - ed

dear ali2971 its really hard to perdict about ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING,as you read here that alot of our pakistani male and female are stuck in AP for a long time without knowing the reason.same thing happen with my interview everything went smooth and good but at the end CO said everything is ok,we have to go through AP process and it take maximum 3 to 6 months to get your visa,now its 10th month running but still in AP everytime i call DOS they said we dont need anything everything is fine with your case but we are doing AP,so we cant predict or do anything..its game of wait and watching.wel case updating regularly is a good sign but you never know when they finish the peocessing,wel what i will advise to you wait another 2 or 3 weeks than decide.what i will personally advice to you ask them to send your passport back after 3 weeks carry on doing whatever your doing in malaysia they will contact you upon the completion of process,cause waiting in pakistan and knowing nuthing that whats going on your case will stress you alot so my advice is that keep yoursely busy in job or business where ever you want to live ie in pak or in malaysia.i hope you AP will be finish soon and you get your visa....