b2 B2 Visa application, approved in London, but in Administrative Processing

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

3 hours ago, RoyalBlue said:

For those who are worried that they were told that their Visa would be granted and to ‘expect it within five days’, only to then find it has been placed into ‘Administrative Processing’;   currently this appears to be happening quite a bit at the London Embassy.

 

........(shortened  text to  save space)

FYI, “administrative processing” is the standard status between an interview and “issued” no matter how long it takes, one day or 6 months etc. There is no “approved” or whatever status before it goes to “issued”' , and it only goes to “issued” once the visa foil has actually been printed. I’m not sure what else you were expecting to see?

 

And there  is a reason they tell you not to book flights before you have a visa. If you honestly think you need to fly within a week or whatever of the interview then you should plan a bit further in advance and interview well in time. Every  tourist visa I’ve ever interviewed for (in the country I come from, that’s many) I’ve always done at least a month before I’ve planned to travel. If you’re applying for F1 you would have had plenty of time to plan the trip, you’d know the dates well in advance.

Edited July 1, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[RoyalBlue 0]

First of all, my remarks related to very specific circumstances i.e. where an applicant is told at interview that their visa has been granted and have not subsequently received a letter to advise that more information is required. They were intended to reassure people in that particular situation, as I have seen how stressful that can be.

 

Secondly, I'm not sure the online tracking does show a period of 'Administrative Processing' for every visa, prior to them being issued. I am pretty sure that did not happen last time the applicant I know got their visa. Looking through the various forums I have noticed that others have questioned whether that is the case too. In the case that I know of, the status of the application didn't change to 'Administrative Processing until four working days after the interview. If 'Administrative Processing'  is used in all cases to refer to the period that the Visa is processed/prepared post the interview, why doesn't the status switch to that immediately after the interview?

 

However, if the term 'Administrative Processing' is used in all cases to describe that part of the process, would it not be sensible and less stressful to applicants if the site explained that? Currently the only explanation of 'Administrative Processing' is that further checks are going to be undertaken and could take up to 60 days. Better still, why not use the term 'Administrative Processing' to cover exactly that and introduce another category/term for when further checks are being undertaken/more information is sought and the delay is likely to be longer.

 

As for SusieQQQ's comment about planning better and applying earlier, my post did explain that it was an F1 not tourist visa but that I expected the process was the same. In this particular case, the F1 was for OPT, so having only recently graduated and returned from the US, and wanting to make the most of the 1 year OPT, it was not as simple and straight forward as applying further in advance and/or allowing longer.

 

I joined and posted on this forum to try to help and reassure others who found themselves in a similar position to the OP and the applicant I know. Hopefully, it will do that. However, given some of the  responses/comments by the 'experts' on here (some of whom haven't even taken the trouble to read properly what I wrote) perhaps I shouldn't have bothered.

 

 

[RoyalBlue 0]

3 hours ago, Boiler said:

AP can take a LOT longer than a few days, I would stick with the general advice not to buy a ticket until you have the visa in your hand.

 Of course, that or paying for a fully flexible flight, is the safest option. However, there are many circumstances where that is not as obvious, straight forward or practical as it might seem (my applicant's circumstances were a case in point). That is why many are left with little option but to take a bit of a gamble and book a flight prior to the visa being granted albeit adding a safety margin of a few days on top of the 'typical' processing days that the Embassy lists on its site.

[Boiler 43,394]

You take a gamble...

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

Would've been better off starting a new thread specif to your case than hijack a thread that's gone zombie for more than 6 months. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

2 hours ago, RoyalBlue said:

First of all, my remarks related to very specific circumstances i.e. where an applicant is told at interview that their visa has been granted and have not subsequently received a letter to advise that more information is required. They were intended to reassure people in that particular situation, as I have seen how stressful that can be.

 

Secondly, I'm not sure the online tracking does show a period of 'Administrative Processing' for every visa, prior to them being issued. I am pretty sure that did not happen last time the applicant I know got their visa. Looking through the various forums I have noticed that others have questioned whether that is the case too. In the case that I know of, the status of the application didn't change to 'Administrative Processing until four working days after the interview. If 'Administrative Processing'  is used in all cases to refer to the period that the Visa is processed/prepared post the interview, why doesn't the status switch to that immediately after the interview?

 

However, if the term 'Administrative Processing' is used in all cases to describe that part of the process, would it not be sensible and less stressful to applicants if the site explained that? Currently the only explanation of 'Administrative Processing' is that further checks are going to be undertaken and could take up to 60 days. Better still, why not use the term 'Administrative Processing' to cover exactly that and introduce another category/term for when further checks are being undertaken/more information is sought and the delay is likely to be longer.

 

As for SusieQQQ's comment about planning better and applying earlier, my post did explain that it was an F1 not tourist visa but that I expected the process was the same. In this particular case, the F1 was for OPT, so having only recently graduated and returned from the US, and wanting to make the most of the 1 year OPT, it was not as simple and straight forward as applying further in advance and/or allowing longer.

 

I joined and posted on this forum to try to help and reassure others who found themselves in a similar position to the OP and the applicant I know. Hopefully, it will do that. However, given some of the  responses/comments by the 'experts' on here (some of whom haven't even taken the trouble to read properly what I wrote) perhaps I shouldn't have bothered.

 

 

I’m not sure what your bottom line advice is. To warn people things might take longer than they expect? To my knowledge, no one here works for DoS so suggesting they change the website wording should be directed at them, or the consulate. 

Edited July 1, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Jojo92122 1,924]

2 hours ago, RoyalBlue said:

First of all, my remarks related to very specific circumstances i.e. where an applicant is told at interview that their visa has been granted and have not subsequently received a letter to advise that more information is required. They were intended to reassure people in that particular situation, as I have seen how stressful that can be.

 

Secondly, I'm not sure the online tracking does show a period of 'Administrative Processing' for every visa, prior to them being issued. I am pretty sure that did not happen last time the applicant I know got their visa. Looking through the various forums I have noticed that others have questioned whether that is the case too. In the case that I know of, the status of the application didn't change to 'Administrative Processing until four working days after the interview. If 'Administrative Processing'  is used in all cases to refer to the period that the Visa is processed/prepared post the interview, why doesn't the status switch to that immediately after the interview?

 

However, if the term 'Administrative Processing' is used in all cases to describe that part of the process, would it not be sensible and less stressful to applicants if the site explained that? Currently the only explanation of 'Administrative Processing' is that further checks are going to be undertaken and could take up to 60 days. Better still, why not use the term 'Administrative Processing' to cover exactly that and introduce another category/term for when further checks are being undertaken/more information is sought and the delay is likely to be longer.

 

As for SusieQQQ's comment about planning better and applying earlier, my post did explain that it was an F1 not tourist visa but that I expected the process was the same. In this particular case, the F1 was for OPT, so having only recently graduated and returned from the US, and wanting to make the most of the 1 year OPT, it was not as simple and straight forward as applying further in advance and/or allowing longer.

 

I joined and posted on this forum to try to help and reassure others who found themselves in a similar position to the OP and the applicant I know. Hopefully, it will do that. However, given some of the  responses/comments by the 'experts' on here (some of whom haven't even taken the trouble to read properly what I wrote) perhaps I shouldn't have bothered.

 

 

You are literally telling people what they already know and you think it's important unknown information that you are giving to the rest of us.  You advised people to buy flexible tickets before having a visa in hand and completely ignoring the US Embassy's advice not to buy tickets without a visa in hand.

 

You are upset because people are correcting your misunderstanding and you are offended.  You resorted to being a snot and putting "experts" in quote.  Why?  Because you think you are right and offended when told you are wrong.

 

It's completely stupid to buy tickets before getting a visa in hand and ignoring the US Embassy's warning.

AP is part of the process.  If you had searched on VJ a little, you would have found this out.

 

Instead, you joined VJ today and you are offended when the "experts" tell you politely that you are wrong.  Then you got snotty.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Jojo92122

[RoyalBlue 0]

On 01/07/2018 at 7:45 PM, Jojo92122 said:

You are literally telling people what they already know and you think it's important unknown information that you are giving to the rest of us.  You advised people to buy flexible tickets before having a visa in hand and completely ignoring the US Embassy's advice not to buy tickets without a visa in hand.

 

You are upset because people are correcting your misunderstanding and you are offended.  You resorted to being a snot and putting "experts" in quote.  Why?  Because you think you are right and offended when told you are wrong.

 

It's completely stupid to buy tickets before getting a visa in hand and ignoring the US Embassy's warning.

AP is part of the process.  If you had searched on VJ a little, you would have found this out.

 

Instead, you joined VJ today and you are offended when the "experts" tell you politely that you are wrong.  Then you got snotty.

Boy do I wish I hadn't bothered, given some of the arrogant and conceited responses from certain people on here. 

 

I did research VJ a lot and noticed that the 'experts' couldn't actually agree on whether every visa application went into 'Administrative Processing'. The Embassy website certainly doesn't make that clear and the emphasis is very much on further enquiries and potentially very signicant delays.

 

For your information there appear to be plenty who don't know what you claim they do, including the OP. 

 

Yes, the Embassy does advise not buying tickets without a visa in hand but in the real world there are plenty of people who are in situations where that is easier said than done. One such case, as I explained, was the applicant I know, for the reasons already explained. During our search for further information we came across a lot of people in similar situations.

 

Do you realise just how damn expensive it is to buy a ticket at short notice? That's why, in the real world, people take a chance and book ahead of time, taking the Embassy's declared normal processing times and adding a bit of a safety margin. Yes, it's a gamble but it is a calculated risk and one that some don't have much choice but to take.

 

And finally, as you kindly point out, I advised people that, if they are in a position where they decide they have no real option but to take that calculated gamble, they reduce their exposure to risk by buying a flexible ticket - hence reducing their financial exposure.

 

Still, sorry to have gatecrashed your forum trying to help those who might be worried and haven't found reassurance in your expertise,  such as my applicant and others known to them. My mistake. I'll leave you to it.