Administrative processing, kept passport

[asad 4]

Hello all,

My wife's interview was on Feb. 23 at the US Consulate in Jerusalem. Her interview went very smoothly, and they asked her a total of 4 questions and did not look at one piece of the backpack full of evidence that she had taken with her in case needed. After the interview, CO told her that everything was fine and that they just needed a form I-864a from the co-sponsor's spouse. And that as soon they received the form, that visa would not take more than one week to be ready. After that, they instructed her to leave her passport at the consulate.

Today, the consulate called me and told me that they have processed the I-864a form and that everything was good and that regard and that they did not need any more information from us. The man then told me that the case still needs to go under additional processing, and to be patient. After finishing the phone call with the consulate, I decided to contact the DOS and ask them what official notes they have on the case in their computer. They told me that the form was accepted and there was no additional information needed and that they case is undergoing administrative processing.

My question is, considering that the consulate kept the passport and the case is going under AP, is there anyone who has had the same experience, and should I expect a quicker AP considering that they kept her passport.

Thanks.

[SalJoy 11]

It varies from case to case. AP doesnt have any time limit. Based on my experience (2 time AP), i will say 4 to 6 weeks. Just call them once in a week or 15 days to check the status. Since they have kept the passport, it looks it wont be long wait. No one wants to hold responsibility of holding the passport.

Good luck.

[PinayArmyWife 2]

Yes AP varies from case to case...as for the passport being kept is not a guarantee that the AP would be quick. In my case, all papers are there, interview went great and CO told us to expect visa in a week or 2. 2 wks passed no visa, called embassy, they told me case is on AP. It's been a month for me now. Hopefully yours will be over quickly.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Usually keeping the passport is a good sign. Sometimes they say AP but they just mean there is something that has to happen before you get your visa (like them going through your documents). AP is a specific thing for background checks, etc. but it can also be used as a catchall term which it seems the case here.

[Sergi9 110]

Yes AP varies from case to case...as for the passport being kept is not a guarantee that the AP would be quick. In my case, all papers are there, interview went great and CO told us to expect visa in a week or 2. 2 wks passed no visa, called embassy, they told me case is on AP. It's been a month for me now. Hopefully yours will be over quickly.

"Quick" relative to AP is probably anything under 3 months. And I think if the passport was kept its a good sign nothing has showed up in any of the electronic databases which is also a good indication. In cases where there is a "hit" they usually return the passport and AP takes longer until they sort out the security issues from the "hit".

[Sergi9 110]

Hello all,

My wife's interview was on Feb. 23 at the US Consulate in Jerusalem. Her interview went very smoothly, and they asked her a total of 4 questions and did not look at one piece of the backpack full of evidence that she had taken with her in case needed. After the interview, CO told her that everything was fine and that they just needed a form I-864a from the co-sponsor's spouse. And that as soon they received the form, that visa would not take more than one week to be ready. After that, they instructed her to leave her passport at the consulate.

Today, the consulate called me and told me that they have processed the I-864a form and that everything was good and that regard and that they did not need any more information from us. The man then told me that the case still needs to go under additional processing, and to be patient. After finishing the phone call with the consulate, I decided to contact the DOS and ask them what official notes they have on the case in their computer. They told me that the form was accepted and there was no additional information needed and that they case is undergoing administrative processing.

My question is, considering that the consulate kept the passport and the case is going under AP, is there anyone who has had the same experience, and should I expect a quicker AP considering that they kept her passport.

Thanks.

In a case where the Petitioner or the beneficiary is from a country on the "list of 26" there is always additional security checks. The folks that work at the windows or on the phone don't resolve these security checks so the information they give regarding how long it takes to process them cannot be relied upon.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Hello all,

My wife's interview was on Feb. 23 at the US Consulate in Jerusalem. Her interview went very smoothly, and they asked her a total of 4 questions and did not look at one piece of the backpack full of evidence that she had taken with her in case needed. After the interview, CO told her that everything was fine and that they just needed a form I-864a from the co-sponsor's spouse. And that as soon they received the form, that visa would not take more than one week to be ready. After that, they instructed her to leave her passport at the consulate.

Today, the consulate called me and told me that they have processed the I-864a form and that everything was good and that regard and that they did not need any more information from us. The man then told me that the case still needs to go under additional processing, and to be patient. After finishing the phone call with the consulate, I decided to contact the DOS and ask them what official notes they have on the case in their computer. They told me that the form was accepted and there was no additional information needed and that they case is undergoing administrative processing.

My question is, considering that the consulate kept the passport and the case is going under AP, is there anyone who has had the same experience, and should I expect a quicker AP considering that they kept her passport.

Thanks.

My husband processed through Jerusalem a little over 6 years ago. His interview was much like your wife's - very brief, they didn't look at any of our evidence, and they kept his passport. However, we had to wait almost 6 weeks for the Israeli police report, as they had not told us we needed one until he got to the interview. But once it was acknowledged as received at the consulate, the visa was issued 4 days later. (Then it took another 5 days to travel the 15 miles from Jerusalem to Ramallah, via Aramex.)

So in our experience, Jerusalem worked fairly quickly once they had all their paperwork. Insha'allah you will be getting an email from the consulate very soon telling you that your wife's visa has been issued. Wishing you best of luck for a speedy completion!

Edited March 13, 2011 by wife_of_mahmoud

[wait4hubby 0]

If they retained your passport I think its a very good sign.

My husband's visa was under admin processing for 3 weeks. Initially they told us it would take minimum 45 days, but his visa was issue exactly at 3 weeks.

Good Luck and keep your spirits high ...

Edited March 15, 2011 by wait4hubby

[sulaiman 0]

I just got this from my senator via email

Hello Sulaiman:

I was able to check with the USCIS and they informed me that according to U.S. Immigration Law, as long as the marriage is legally valid in the country in which it took place, the U.S. accepts it as valid. For purposes of the visa however, the U.S. Consulate must also make sure the marriage conforms to the provisions of the Foreign Affairs Manual. This case review can sometimes take a few weeks or even months. If you do not receive a decision on the case within the next 90 days, I can check into the status.