221g - Administrative Processing Frequently Asked Questions

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Administrative Processing Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Administrative Processing? AP is also called Additional Administrative Processing and is when the applicant is being checked more closely. It can be for security checks which encompass fingerprints and/or name checks or for document verification.

• When does Administrative Processing Happen? AP can happen at any time during your processing. It can happen at a service center, at the NVC level, or at the embassy level. It mainly is discussed here in the forums at the embassy level.

• Who can get Administrative Processing and Why? AP usually affects men and women from certain countries but anyone can get AP. Persons coming from T countries (Terrorist Countries) seem to have more security checks and have to endure AP at the embassy level after their interview. Common names, your nationality, religion, education, relationship of applicant, travels and job can all be factors for AP. Having incomplete or missing documents will also cause a case to be put in AP. In some cases if the embassy does not believe in the validity of the relationship they can investigate it further with a field investigation.

• What are the T-Countries? Although it is classified, the list of countries reportedly affected by these restrictions includes, but is not limited to, Afghanistan,
Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt,
Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,
Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,
Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates,
and Yemen. http://www.abil.com/articles/ABIL%20...0Wolfsdorf.pdf This list is complied from an attorney and the list of T-countries can change at any time.

• Can I check the status of my case? The embassy will not in many cases respond to emails until a certain amount of time has elapsed. The best bet is to contact Department of State aka: DOS and ask them for an update bi-weekly. They will not be able to give you details but they can tell you if the case is still pending in AP or cleared.

• DOS information: DOS can be contacted Monday through Friday during business hours. You must have all information concerning your case with you so that they can assist you.
Department of State’s visa Information phone number: 202-663-1225

• Can I expedite this process? The simple answer is NO. No one can expedite the checks since they are considered a matter of National security. An elected official can only make a congressional inquiry on your behalf. They cannot get the checks finished any faster.

• Does AP have any time frame for completion? NO AP can last anywhere from days, weeks, months and in a few cases years.

Anyone that happens to be given a 221(g) or Administrative Processing letter must be patient and let them do their work. Do not call constantly and ask about your case. Remember each time your case is moved it can then end up at the bottom of the stack and your time can be extended. Each case is different so you cannot judge your case by any other and each consulate/embassy may have a different average time for completion of AP.