Administrative Processing Questions (merged)

[harvardiv 5]

It's normal procedure to keep it when they plan to issue a visa with it. If they gave it back to her at the interview it would be more likely indicating a denial.

I appreciate your sentiment, but I also hear they take it either way. So they issue a Visa or they just return it without a visa.

[ceisenbruch 53]

I appreciate your sentiment, but I also hear they take it either way. So they issue a Visa or they just return it without a visa.

No worries, just explaining why people keep asking, i haven't been through the interview process yet and every interview is different anyways good luck!

[harvardiv 5]

No worries, just explaining why people keep asking, i haven't been through the interview process yet and every interview is different anyways good luck!

Thanks, I will need it at this point.

[jakartausa 28]

The age gap never looks good. I know people on here claim different but its just irregular. Here in the USA its unusual to see a couple with an age difference that exceeds 3 to 5 years, whether male or female. For instance my first marriage my wife was only 1 year older. This is exceedingly more common and In my opinion the CO being that they are American have an innate bias which leans towards this more American belief system. Given that you had other variables along with the age gap, in my humble opinion this is what triggered the admin review.

My fiance in Jakarta is one year younger than me. This looks more natural then if say my girlfriend was 13 years younger or older than me, people would question what we have in common etc. Its unfortunately unavoidable.

Edited November 3, 2016 by jakartausa

[Meg&Andrew 297]

If you are denied, they wouldn't keep your visa. Why would they? It's a good sign they kept it, but it doesn't mean approval either. Did they issue a 221G?

[harvardiv 5]

If you are denied, they wouldn't keep your visa. Why would they? It's a good sign they kept it, but it doesn't mean approval either. Did they issue a 221G?

No they did not give any paperwork. They just stated it is under administrative review, and that they would notify me of the results from 10 days to 1 year.

[TBoneTX 45,663]

Sadly, nothing to do but wait.

[Georgia16 2,858]

The age gap never looks good. I know people on here claim different but its just irregular. Here in the USA its unusual to see a couple with an age difference that exceeds 3 to 5 years, whether male or female. For instance my first marriage my wife was only 1 year older. This is exceedingly more common and In my opinion the CO being that they are American have an innate bias which leans towards this more American belief system. Given that you had other variables along with the age gap, in my humble opinion this is what triggered the admin review.

My fiance in Jakarta is one year younger than me. This looks more natural then if say my girlfriend was 13 years younger or older than me, people would question what we have in common etc. Its unfortunately unavoidable.

I don't agree at all.

Yes some places in the world it's not normal to have a age gap or have the female be older. But in a lot of places it's normal or you see it often and that is also US. I see A lot of people with age gap and in a country like Ukraine it's really not a big deal.

A lot of people with big age gap don't even get any questions about it at all doing any interview.

[millefleur 5,047]

I don't agree at all.

Yes some places in the world it's not normal to have a age gap or have the female be older. But in a lot of places it's normal or you see it often and that is also US. I see A lot of people with age gap and in a country like Ukraine it's really not a big deal.

A lot of people with big age gap don't even get any questions about it at all doing any interview.

Agree with Georgia. Age gaps in the US are fairly common, but it is usually of the older man/younger woman variety. You might've even met couples with close to 10 years or more age gaps not even noticed it because it wasn't pointed out/visually noticeable. Some people look younger than their age, other people can be mature beyond their years. It's not even something most people in the US think about unless it's like a extreme version of 30, 40 years difference.

I'm worried that it might come up in our case because my husband is fairly young and of military draftable age...a bit worried they might think he's trying to flee from the military since there's a question about that on the DS-260, but that would be a concern regardless of our age difference.

[Neonred 3,581]

The age gap never looks good. I know people on here claim different but its just irregular. Here in the USA its unusual to see a couple with an age difference that exceeds 3 to 5 years, whether male or female. For instance my first marriage my wife was only 1 year older. This is exceedingly more common and In my opinion the CO being that they are American have an innate bias which leans towards this more American belief system. Given that you had other variables along with the age gap, in my humble opinion this is what triggered the admin review.

My fiance in Jakarta is one year younger than me. This looks more natural then if say my girlfriend was 13 years younger or older than me, people would question what we have in common etc. Its unfortunately unavoidable.

Thats just not true.

[Michael and Ganna 104]

An age gap in Ukrainian culture is traditional...<15 years is excepted ....Also they don't marry someone there own age

http://spadok.org.ua

If the Embassy took the passport, most likely you will be approved. They just had a changing of the guard (embassy rotation).....just hang in there and try not to lose sleep

[harvardiv 5]

An age gap in Ukrainian culture is traditional...<15 years is excepted ....Also they don't marry someone there own age

http://spadok.org.ua

If the Embassy took the passport, most likely you will be approved. They just had a changing of the guard (embassy rotation).....just hang in there and try not to lose sleep

Wow, how do you know? Great to hear. That would explain what my fiance' said that the girl next to her was refused. Her friend was also saying that things were different there in the embassy and she was asking if the election time in the USA somehow affecting the mood in the embassy.

[Michael and Ganna 104]

Wow, how do you know? Great to hear. That would explain what my fiance' said that the girl next to her was refused. Her friend was also saying that things were different there in the embassy and she was asking if the election time in the USA somehow affecting the mood in the embassy.

I am a American expat here....I pick up my ss check from the Embassy every month....you kinda get to know the staff there. Also my step-daughter got a denial last week for her B-2....They told her a tourist visa was for touring and not for visiting relatives.....LOL....I will send her back after the new year.

[harvardiv 5]

I am a American expat here....I pick up my ss check from the Embassy every month....you kinda get to know the staff there. Also my step-daughter got a denial last week for her B-2....They told her a tourist visa was for touring and not for visiting relatives.....LOL....I will send her back after the new year.

Ok it's making more sense now. The internet is amazing, like having an extra set of eyes in other places, lol. Anyway, so if a visa is put under review in this situation, do cooler heads prevail or? Like are the old souls still there in the upper management who review it? Also when exactly did the "guard" change?

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

The age gap never looks good. I know people on here claim different but its just irregular. Here in the USA its unusual to see a couple with an age difference that exceeds 3 to 5 years, whether male or female. For instance my first marriage my wife was only 1 year older. This is exceedingly more common and In my opinion the CO being that they are American have an innate bias which leans towards this more American belief system. Given that you had other variables along with the age gap, in my humble opinion this is what triggered the admin review.

My fiance in Jakarta is one year younger than me. This looks more natural then if say my girlfriend was 13 years younger or older than me, people would question what we have in common etc. Its unfortunately unavoidable.

You forgot that the COs live in those cultures so their decision making is also influenced by the local culture not American culture.