Administrative processing

[zshan_ali1 0]

Hi there,

Could you please tell me the meaning of Administrative processing? i was assuming i might get visa but they handed over me my passport with a blue page saying that its temporarily refused and so they require administrative processing. they asked me to check my visa status after a week (i gave interview on march 8th, 2012).and they said it could take 6 weeks. its really painstaking. i need help PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

just wanted to mention that i gave my interview in abu dhabi embassy

[zshan_ali1 0]

Hi there,

Could you please tell me the meaning of Administrative processing? i was assuming i might get visa but they handed over me my passport with a blue page saying that its temporarily refused and so they require administrative processing. they asked me to check my visa status after a week (i gave interview on march 8th, 2012).and they said it could take 6 weeks. its really painstaking. i need help PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

just wanted to mention that i gave my interview in abu dhabi embassy

[Enigma11561 336]

Administrative Process, AP, means they need to do some more homework on your application. Something more needs to be checked out. AP can take weeks, or months. No one knows because it is a very personal thing. There is little you can do to make it go faster.

[Oksana & Max 94]

There is really no timeframe for the AP. It can take from a few weeks to (in some cases) few years. Some embassies require an AP and there is no way out of it. Hopefully it will be a speedy one for you.

[zshan_ali1 0]

Hi there,

Could you please tell me the meaning of Administrative processing? i was assuming i might get visa but they handed over me my passport with a blue page saying that its temporarily refused and so they require administrative processing. they asked me to check my visa status after a week (i gave interview on march 8th, 2012).and they said it could take 6 weeks. its really painstaking. i need help PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

just wanted to mention that i gave my interview in abu dhabi embassy

YEARS?????????? that would be really long...but within how much time u got ur AP done?

[Adnan&Liane 8]

Hi zshan_ali1,

I'm very sorry to hear you got stuck in AP. When we found out we were in AP I didn't know what it was and I didn't expect it at all - I was crushed. I thought after the interview he'd get his visa and we'd be done waiting. I understand your frusteration. We have been waiting for almost 5 months. What type of visa are you applying for? Did they ask you for any additional documents?

AP seems to happen in 2 cases. The first is if they need additional documents from you to review or if they doubt your relationship. This is probably not your case. The second is if you are from a MENA (middle east/north africa) country or if you are muslim (especially males). Because you are from Abu Dhabi I would assume it's the second reason. Don't worry - this is pretty much standard for all MENA countries.

Some cases take months...some rare cases take years...I would be happy to be in the 6-8 month range...some are lucky and get through sooner.

You will find a lot of discussion on this site in the AP forum. There is not much you can do but if you read the posts you will start to get a better understanding of what is going on w/your case. Everyone has been very helpful.

Be prepared to wait and to not get much info at all about the status of your case. Your patience will be tested. You can call the DOS (department of state) weekly to check your status but they will only tell you if your still in AP or not. Here is the number: 202-663-1225. (wait a few weeks until they have a chance to start working on your case). After about 5/6 months if you are still waiting you can contact your senator or congress person to inquire about the case. Again - this won't result in much, but if the case has been lost or if there is a problem they can get things moving again. That is pretty much all you can do besides just wait and be patient. Be prepared for a long wait but hope for a quick one! Good Luck!

[sara..... 371]

Hi there,

Could you please tell me the meaning of Administrative processing? i was assuming i might get visa but they handed over me my passport with a blue page saying that its temporarily refused and so they require administrative processing. they asked me to check my visa status after a week (i gave interview on march 8th, 2012).and they said it could take 6 weeks. its really painstaking. i need help PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

just wanted to mention that i gave my interview in abu dhabi embassy

YEARS?????????? that would be really long...but within how much time u got ur AP done?

the amount of time for AP depends on how common your name is ...what country you come from if your not from the country your interview was in.....sadly if your from Pakistan the AP has been lasting a few months to a couple of years or at least that's what it seems like when i visit their forum.....it can also depend on the type of visa you applied for

sara

[zshan_ali1 0]

well regarding the doubt of my relationship, im married to my wife. so i believe its a strong relationship. they should not doubt on it....

or what doubts can they have regarding the relationship, if someone is married and not engaged?

[Adnan&Liane 8]

I was assuming you were applying for CR1 or K1 - so they would evaluate your relationship before giving you the visa. But again, since you are from a MENA country that is probably not the case. They only asked my husband 3 questions, told him everything looked great - that they didn't have any doubts about our relationship. For us it was mandatory AP because although my husband is a UK citizen and lives there now - he grew up in Morocco. He is a young muslim male and he has a common name. A common name could result in your case taking a long time because they will run background/security/name checks on you to make sure you have a clear record. If you have a common name they will have to explore every person in their database w/the same or similar name. Also if you travel frequently that may be somethign else they have to look into.

[zshan_ali1 0]

and what do they evaluate for realtionship?

[sara..... 371]

and what do they evaluate for realtionship?

many things......how long you have spent together in the same country......emails.....chats....cards...age difference....religious difference.....if your family and her family agree with the marraige...who was at your wedding....pictures of the wedding....guest list with contact names and numbers...and the list can go on and on there are so many things that they take into account to see if your relationship is real....

sara

[Adnan&Liane 8]

I wouldn't worry about the relationship. They would have asked you extensive questions about your spouse or asked for more evidence if they doubted the relationship. They would need more proof. If they did not ask for more proof or additional documents I would assume it's mandatory AP for background checks. Your case will stay at the embassy - but they will run background checks w/washington DC to make sure you are not a threat to national security or have a criminal background.

Please try to fill out your profile as completely as you can so we have more info to help you. Thanks!

[zshan_ali1 0]

they asked me some questions regarding my wife. she furnished them the pics and all a long time bck..but the embassy consular didnt ask me for additional documents,. infact, they didnt even tell me abt our relationship or something. they just took my fingers scanning and then they gave me this paper.

by the way, we got married in august 2010 and we stayed together for 10 days and then last year we stayed together for 15 days and since then, we are on long distance

[EAbbas 213]

Don't worry it sounds like they are going to run name checks it can be finished withing a couple of months or longer but I'm sure it won't be as long as your fearing

this kind of check is expected fr someone coming from a mEna country

Name checks take sometime to complete their goal is within 120 business days some is shorter some is longer but you can call dos and check like suggested but in the meantime make your life as normal with your wife as possible during the long distance

Have faith it won't be too long!!!!

Best of luck

[dreamcometrue4 0]

I wouldn't worry about the relationship. They would have asked you extensive questions about your spouse or asked for more evidence if they doubted the relationship. They would need more proof. If they did not ask for more proof or additional documents I would assume it's mandatory AP for background checks. Your case will stay at the embassy - but they will run background checks w/washington DC to make sure you are not a threat to national security or have a criminal background.

Please try to fill out your profile as completely as you can so we have more info to help you. Thanks!

This was an interesting point you made that if they doubted the relationship they would have asked more questions.. this is good to know. My fiance they asked limited questions, so that is encouraging. and waiting for AP to be complete. the best to the both of you! :)