German in UK

Thanks, everyone. To all others with this ridiculous problem: if you've been in AP for more than six months, start to explore mandamus action with a suitably qualified attorney. Jay Gairson of Seattle helped me - he was excellent.

Thanks! Next is the adjustment of status to immigrant...

O visa issued! It took an entire year and the threat of litigation.

O visa issued! It took an entire year and the threat of litigation.

Thanks, everyone. To all others with this ridiculous problem: if you've been in AP for more than six months, start to explore mandamus action with a suitably qualified attorney. Jay Gairson of Seattle helped me - he was excellent.

O visa issued! It took an entire year and the threat of litigation.

O visa issued! It took an entire year and the threat of litigation.

O visa issued! It took an entire year and the threat of litigation.

Thanks - as it happens, my attorney has received a very promising message from LegalNet overnight. More soon.

Still no movement on either the O-1 or H-1B applications - 8 months are up now. Got myself my own attorney, who I trust knows what he's doing. University's lawyer (she who prepared the original O petition) has become somewhat antagonistic, probably because two errors she's made have been discovered: she declared the wrong country of birth for me and filed the petition in the wrong category (science rather than education - I'm an English Prof). Old attorney admits errors but calls them minor (self-protection?), new attorney thinks that, in the current visa climate, they have very likely triggered consular requests for both an SAO and LAO, hence the lengthy pressing. 
 
Corrected O petition will be re-filed in the next few days with a view to a fresh visa application which will be accompanied by police certificates that prove I'm no criminal, a letter from the dean explaining the appointment process (I.e. Internationally advertised, I got the job on merit), etc. I'm at my wit's end, of course, as this has been such a disruptive and destructive period of seemingly endless waiting. Wish me luck - if this doesn't work, I'll almost certainly end up unemployed. 

Well, I'm still waiting...it'll be six months in late November. Absolutely nothing.
 
My new university recently applied for an H-1B petition, which was also approved without any problems. Had my interview at the London embassy on 2 October - the CO told me there and then it was approved and that the O-1 would simply continue to be processed. I was reassured I could travel and work on the approved H-1B and would have my passport back the following week. A week later I get my passport back WITHOUT the H-1B stamp in it - administrative processing. I have no idea what they are finding on their various databases they use, but this is beyond ridiculous.

Friends: still no news on the O visa. It all sucks very badly.

I think you're both right. That said, the consular officer seemed to misunderstand the nature of the O visa, confusing above average merit with popular fame. In my case, the additional info that was requested had nothing to do with the O-1 extraordinary ability, but previous addresses and travel over the last 10-15 yrs, siblings, etc. I guess this is the extreme security vetting that the current administration has in mind, although I thought that was focused more on applicants from the countries for which a travel ban was sought recently.