Who went through an administrative check — how did you find out it was finished? Will some letter arrive, or will the status just change without notifications? It’s unclear how to track the moment when the case is no longer being processed internally. I’d appreciate any experiences.
Yeah — the waiting is the hardest part here. Usually you get a letter asking you to send your passport — that means the administrative processing is finished. The status changes too, but not always right away. By the way, we have a thread on our forum about 221(g) 🏛 Административная проверка 221(g): вам не отказали, но визу не дали — it’s exactly about the situation when the visa hasn’t been refused but hasn’t been issued either. Hang in there, most of these checks end up fine )
6 Likes
In fact there are two signals — either a message asking you to send your passport and DS-160, or a status change on the website. But the message is more reliable; the status can hang. Important: the message usually doesn’t say outright “review completed”, it’s just the dry “to continue processing your case, please send your passport.” If I were you, I wouldn’t jump the gun — if less than a couple of months have passed, that’s a normal timeframe, although it depends a lot on the consulate.
6 Likes
Just don’t psych yourself out while you’re waiting — it really eats at your nerves more than the check itself. People have already said the right thing about the passport letter — that’s the main sign that things have moved. You can check CEAC periodically, but don’t go overboard )
6 Likes
Look, there’s another nuance — sometimes the email arrives before the status in the system updates, and sometimes it’s the other way around. When I looked into this, I saw people waiting for weeks for synchronization between CEAC and the actual state of affairs. If a passport request has come through, that’s your answer — don’t wait for confirmation in the system.
6 Likes
A friend of mine had the same situation — she refreshed CEAC every day and totally wore herself out, but in the end the letter arrived before the status even changed. So the guys are right: the passport request is the main signal. I’d just set a reminder to check once a week and that’s it; otherwise you’ll go crazy waiting for it.
6 Likes
Oh, 14 months — and it all worked out, that’s great news)
6 Likes
By the way, few people know about the 120 days — after the completion of administrative processing (AP) there’s a limited window to act, especially if DS or the petition are already closed. In short, don’t relax after they request your passport; move quickly. And by law a government agency can’t issue a negative decision just because you complained or wrote somewhere — but that doesn’t mean a positive decision is guaranteed; those are different things.
4 Likes