I’m thinking about the following situation. If you are placed under administrative processing and are waiting for a new visa to be issued - can you legally stay in the country during all that time? Or is it better to take care of getting a new visa in advance, rather than waiting for the old one to expire?
Detailed analysis of the topic: Administrative processing 221g: timelines, statuses, what to do
While the administrative processing was underway, I was thinking about this too — whether you can leave the country and come back. The passport is sent to the embassy and delivery is tied to a specific address — that’s the main logistical problem if you’re planning to go anywhere. Your stay in the country depends on your current status, not on what’s happening at the embassy. My processing in Frankfurt took about six months, and the whole time I remained in valid status — just without the U.S. visa in hand.