Stuck in administrative processing after interview approval

[Madao 18]

The visa was approved at the interview and the interviewer told her she should receive her visa in about a week, but it's been almost 3 weeks.  From what I can see on the site, most people at the Bangkok Embassy are getting their visas in about a week and people after us have already received their visas. We did email the embassy and they just said it is stuck in administrative processing and there is no timeline they can give except to wait. 

 

I was wondering if any of you have had your visa stuck under administrative processing awaiting final approval after approval in the interview and how long it took you?  I read somewhere most cases are resolved with 60 days; I'm hoping it won't take that long.   The CEAC site just says ready.  I didn't check right after the interview to see if the status changed.  I found out about the site a few days later and when I checked it's always just said case status is ready.

[John951 54]

45 minutes ago, Madao said:

The visa was approved at the interview and the interviewer told her she should receive her visa in about a week, but it's been almost 3 weeks.  From what I can see on the site, most people at the Bangkok Embassy are getting their visas in about a week and people after us have already received their visas. We did email the embassy and they just said it is stuck in administrative processing and there is no timeline they can give except to wait. 

 

I was wondering if any of you have had your visa stuck under administrative processing awaiting final approval after approval in the interview and how long it took you?  I read somewhere most cases are resolved with 60 days; I'm hoping it won't take that long.   The CEAC site just says ready.  I didn't check right after the interview to see if the status changed.  I found out about the site a few days later and when I checked it's always just said case status is ready.

How do you know your in AP if CEAC says "ready"?

 

Ready for us meant that the passport was ready for pick up or being mailed out to us

[Madao 18]

7 minutes ago, John951 said:

How do you know your in AP if CEAC says "ready"?

 

Ready for us meant that the passport was ready for pick up or being mailed out to us

The email I sent the the embassy said it was under administrative processing and the tracking number they gave us yields nothing yet.  Did they send you an email when they sent the passport?

[John951 54]

23 minutes ago, Madao said:

The email I sent the the embassy said it was under administrative processing and the tracking number they gave us yields nothing yet.  Did they send you an email when they sent the passport?

There was no email , she was in administrative processing for a week then changed to ready and the passport arrived a few days later

[Rashid patras 40]

5 hours ago, Madao said:

The visa was approved at the interview and the interviewer told her she should receive her visa in about a week, but it's been almost 3 weeks.  From what I can see on the site, most people at the Bangkok Embassy are getting their visas in about a week and people after us have already received their visas. We did email the embassy and they just said it is stuck in administrative processing and there is no timeline they can give except to wait. 

 

I was wondering if any of you have had your visa stuck under administrative processing awaiting final approval after approval in the interview and how long it took you?  I read somewhere most cases are resolved with 60 days; I'm hoping it won't take that long.   The CEAC site just says ready.  I didn't check right after the interview to see if the status changed.  I found out about the site a few days later and when I checked it's always just said case status is ready.

I can understandthis is really painful the situation you going through but you can't do anything except waiting, and ready means ready for interview but in few days it will change to again administrative processing when your visa approved it will change to issued in ceac. Goodluck

[Loren Y 2,732]

Never know with AP. My fiancee got approved at her interview, went into AP for about 4 days, embassy emailed me that they needed another passport size photo? ( Gave then like 4 at the interview?) emailed the image to the embassy, about 4 days later switch to issued in the tracker, and then received the big envelope with passport and POE paperwork. So, I think it took overall about 2 weeks ( including the weekends)to get the actual passport, maybe a little longer, but the CO had told her a week also. 

[Madao 18]

Thanks guys.  I will wait and see what happens.  

[Mark and Pooky 11]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:37 PM, Madao said:

Thanks guys.  I will wait and see what happens.  

I was hoping to book my flight the day my Fiance passes her interview.  But these type of stories make me think twice of doing that and waiting until the Visa actual lands in her hand.  I hope the notification gets here soon.  I received my packet 3 letter on May 27, and hope I get my interview notification  and nterview date early next week.

 

[Madao 18]

2 hours ago, Mark and Pooky said:

I was hoping to book my flight the day my Fiance passes her interview.  But these type of stories make me think twice of doing that and waiting until the Visa actual lands in her hand.  I hope the notification gets here soon.  I received my packet 3 letter on May 27, and hope I get my interview notification  and nterview date early next week.

 

Best of luck with your interview.  I messaged a couple of people on the forum that interviewed after me and they got their visas within a week or 2.  We just happened to not be so lucky and got put into administrative processing.  I wouldn't make any travel plans until you have the visa in hand.

[Thunderbolt 162]

On our end, after the interview she was denied because she didn't submit "Same Person" certificate. The same day she flew home to Phuket, went to Amper and got the letter. Then she went to some terrible 'certified' translator place where they translated the letter to English. She sent it back to the embassy and exactly 8 days later she received her passport with visa in the mail.

 

How's your situation now? Did she finally got her visa?

[Madao 18]

11 hours ago, Thunderbolt said:

On our end, after the interview she was denied because she didn't submit "Same Person" certificate. The same day she flew home to Phuket, went to Amper and got the letter. Then she went to some terrible 'certified' translator place where they translated the letter to English. She sent it back to the embassy and exactly 8 days later she received her passport with visa in the mail.

 

How's your situation now? Did she finally got her visa?

Good to hear you got yours.  My fiance got her passport and visa about a week ago but the visa package has a large rip due to shipping so we will have to send it back to get it resealed (she lives in Nan so it is far from Bangkok).  I asked them to let her pick it up in person to avoid damaging it in the mail again so hopefully they will do that.

[Zoltan K 86]

On 7/9/2019 at 8:34 PM, Madao said:

Good to hear you got yours.  My fiance got her passport and visa about a week ago but the visa package has a large rip due to shipping so we will have to send it back to get it resealed (she lives in Nan so it is far from Bangkok).  I asked them to let her pick it up in person to avoid damaging it in the mail again so hopefully they will do that.

how was the process? ours has a tear on the envelope too (intact plastic in which it came, so I'm confused...) ?

 

[Madao 18]

8 hours ago, Zoltan K said:

how was the process? ours has a tear on the envelope too (intact plastic in which it came, so I'm confused...) ?

 

Ours was the same way.  The outer envelope was fine, but the inner one was ripped.  If it is a small rip, it may not be an issue, but best to take some pictures and email it to them.  Best thing to do is to email the visa unit in Bangkok at visasbkkiv@state.gov and tell them about the problem and they will give you an address to send it to (the person on the phone didn't know and directed us to email).  We didn't want to risk mailing it again, so I asked them if we could pick it up in person.  That was ok with them.  You couldn't drop it off in person though; you have to mail it.  It took them a few days and they emailed us to pick it up.  FYI, I believe they only allow pickups on Mon and Weds from 13:00-15:00 so plan accordingly.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Madao

[Zoltan K 86]

On 8/24/2019 at 1:51 AM, Madao said:

Ours was the same way.  The outer envelope was fine, but the inner one was ripped.  If it is a small rip, it may not be an issue, but best to take some pictures and email it to them.  Best thing to do is to email the visa unit in Bangkok at visasbkkiv@state.gov and tell them about the problem and they will give you an address to send it to (the person on the phone didn't know and directed us to email).  We didn't want to risk mailing it again, so I asked them if we could pick it up in person.  That was ok with them.  You couldn't drop it off in person though; you have to mail it.  It took them a few days and they emailed us to pick it up.  FYI, I believe they only allow pickups on Mon and Weds from 13:00-15:00 so plan accordingly.

1/3 of the envelop was ripped on each longer side...I emailed them but it was end of day Friday and too late for them to pick up on the email and respond. I expect a Monday morning response...they seem to check in the morning the emails and respond.

 

Knowing the drop-off/pick-up rules is useful, so I can plan accordingly. My flight got delayed and I'm only arriving today at 5PM to Thailand but my fiance is ready to run to DHL and mail it overnight as soon as we receive he instructions from the embassy.

 

We are in Chiang Mai, so in case the CM consulate could reseal it for us, that would simplify everything...I will be smarted in a few hours

[Madao 18]

 I don't think the Chiang Mai consulate deals anymore with visas, but it is worth checking with them first.  Best of luck to you.  Also hopefully immigration won't give you too much issue.  Since my fiance didn't speak much English, I asked and they allowed me to accompany her in the foreigner line to translate for her.  The immigration officer opened our packet, asked a couple of simple questions like where and how we met and told her she had up to 90 days to get married or the visa will expire.