I was given a 221(g) administrative processing notice, but they didn’t ask me to submit anything else. Does that mean the wait will be long? And what can they actually be checking — the case itself, me as a person, my education?
Not being asked for additional documents means it’s a database check, not a lack of information. For my F-2 in Belgrade they didn’t ask for anything either — I just waited six months. They check different things: education, specialty, sometimes place of work or relatives. 221(g) is not a refusal, just a pause while they wait for a response from some databases.
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If your visa is an immigrant visa and you’re from one of the 75 countries covered by the ban, it’s likely to be a long-term situation. If it’s a nonimmigrant visa, the outlook could range from a few weeks to several years.
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Saw it in SF with no request for docs — the person waited 7 months, then was approved. It’s 221(g) according to the databases; you can’t submit anything — just monitor the status every 2 weeks.
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221(g) without a request for additional documents is a database check, not a sign of a problem with the case. They check different things: education, specialty, place of work, sometimes relatives — it depends on the applicant’s profile. There are no active steps to take here, just monitor the status every couple of weeks. Six months now is more likely the lower bound, not the average.
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You’ll get through it - it’s exactly the kind of test where you wait and do nothing)
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I heard from an acquaintance who applied for a J-1 in Belgrade — she waited six months without a single request for documents, and then the approval arrived. No request means they’re doing database checks, not that information is missing — they check education, specialty, place of work, sometimes relatives. There are no active steps to take, just monitor every couple of weeks — six months now is more of a lower bound than an average.
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EB-1A via Warsaw is currently one of the most difficult combinations — a medical-biological education plus an immigrant visa almost guarantees extended checks against scientific databases.
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