Immigration Update: On-going Delays with U.S. Visa Issuance

As of July 31, 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) continues to experience technical problems with the passport/visa system, delaying the issuance of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas at U.S. Consulates. The issue is worldwide and is not specific to any particular country, citizenship document, or visa category.  

The specific issue stems from the Consular Consolidated Database which holds consular records and is used to approve and print visas, passports and other travel documents. DOS has made several upgrades to the database and is working urgently to correct the problem, however they anticipate it could take weeks for all Consulates to resume full visa processing capacity. DOS announced recently that they are prioritizing immigrant visas, however several Consulates have begun to clear their nonimmigrant visa backlog. 

Processing times for nonimmigrant visas will vary depending upon each Consulate’s workload. Many Consulates have provided updates on nonimmigrant visa processing times on their individual websites and some Consulates may limit or reschedule nonimmigrant visa interviews until the system is fully operational. A complete list of U.S. Consulates and links to their websites can be found at www.usembassy.gov

The DOS is providing updates on their webpage and via Facebook.

We strongly recommend if you have questions or concerns about the visa process and impact of the delays, please contact the MVA Immigration Team. We can provide you the latest information and the impact of the delays on your specific matter.