UPDATE: Visa Systems Issues (165 Posts Restored)

From Travel.State.Gov, 06/25/2015

The Bureau of Consular Affairs reports that 165 posts, representing more than 85 percent of our nonimmigrant visa demand worldwide, are now online and issuing visas. 

Posts overseas issued more than 82,000 visas on June 24. 

Posts overseas have issued more than 238,000 non-immigrant visas this week. For context, if systems had been operating normally, posts would have issued approximately 540,000 visas since the outage started. 

We will continue to bring additional posts online until connectivity with all posts is restored. All posts worldwide are now scheduling interviews with applicants, including with those who applied after the systems problems began on June 9.

We deeply regret the inconvenience to travelers who are waiting for visas, as well as their families and U.S. businesses that have been affected.

·    We continue to post updates to our website, travel.state.gov.

Q: Reports indicate that your backlog is 700,000 visas. Is this accurate?

·    No. While there is a large backlog of cases to clear, it never approached that level, and we have already made good progress issuing those visas. Many posts are working overtime this week and during the upcoming weekend, and we expect to eliminate the backlog in a week or less.

Q: How old is this equipment? And does the age of the equipment and the need to have so many repairs to the hardware mean that this equipment should have been replaced? Is this a funding issue at the base of it?

The hardware that impacted the biometrics system is several years old. The Department was working to move the biometrics system off of this hardware.

The operational requirements to keep this database running for domestic and overseas passport and visa issuances caused delays in upgrading the database according to our planned maintenance schedule.

We have been working to upgrade our systems over the past year.

We will move ahead with planned migration and systems upgrades as soon as we fully restore service.

Q: How did you restore service?

We restored service using a redundant, secondary backup system and other sources. That data allowed us to begin to re-connect posts to the affected portion of the system and synchronize biometric data. This system is running on newer hardware, and has a synchronized standby system in a different Department data center.

In parallel, we are continuing to restore data from backups and overseas post databases. This process is ongoing.

Q: Do you know whether this is equipment that was acquired directly by the State Department, or was this acquired through a third-party contractor?

The equipment was acquired by the Department of State.

Q: What does this mean for travelers seeking visas?

All posts are now interviewing applicants. Please check the website of the nearest embassy or consulate for interview appointment availability and up-to-date messages.

Q: How many people were affected by this outage?

During the past two weeks, consular sections have continued to interview travelers who applied June 8 or earlier. Those posts reconnected to our system are now issuing visas for those applicants.

Q: How are cases being prioritized?

We continue to facilitate urgent cases for those individuals who need to travel imminently, and will continue to do so until the systems are normal.

We apologize to travelers and recognize that this has caused hardship to some individuals waiting for visas as well as families and employers.

Q: What about the foreign agricultural workers (H2A visa holders?)

More than 2,500 temporary or seasonal workers have been issued new visas in Mexico since last week.

We will continue to prioritize H-2 applicants as our systems return to normal, and issue as many approved cases as possible. However, we will not be able to process these as quickly as we typically do until our systems are functioning normally. We continue to ask that any employers with urgent needs contact the post which is processing their applicants and we will do everything we can to facilitate the cases.

We are no longer asking CBP to provide Port of Entry waivers, as we have now begun issuing visas at border posts.

Visa applicants, including agricultural workers, who have not received a visa should not report to the border. Please contact the nearest embassy or consulate.

Q: What about domestic passports?

Domestic passport operations are functioning, with some processing delays.

The technical problems have affected the intake of some mailed applications and same-day service at our passport agencies; however, we continue to issue routine and expedited passports to U.S. citizens for all overseas travel needs.

Q: What about overseas passports?

Overseas passport applications are being processed. There have been delays in some cases, but posts overseas are able to issue emergency passports in urgent cases.

UPDATE: Visa Systems Issues (39 posts restored)

From Travel.State.Gov, 06/23/2015

The Bureau of Consular Affairs reports that the database responsible for handling biometric clearances has been rebuilt and is being tested.  39 posts, representing more than two-thirds of our normal capacity, are now online and issuing visas. We are working to restore full biometric data processing.

• We issued more than 45,000 visas yesterday.  Beijing alone issued nearly 15,000 visas. 
• Our team continues to work 24/7 to restore the systems to full functionality. 
• We will continue to bring additional posts online until connectivity with all posts is restored. 
• We deeply regret the inconvenience to travelers waiting for visas.
• We continue to post updates to our website, travel.state.gov.
• Q: How long before you restore full system functionality? 
• We anticipate that the system will be fully reconnected this week.  We plan to work over the weekend to clear our backlog.
• As of noon today, 39 posts have been reconnected, representing more than two-thirds of the global nonimmigrant visa volume.  All our servers appear to be stable. 
• There is a large backlog of cases to clear, but we have already made good progress.  We will continue to bring additional posts online until connectivity with all posts is restored. 
• Q: What does this mean for travelers seeking visas?
• Many posts are now rescheduling interviews.  In some cases, interviews will be available as soon as June 24.  Please check the website of the nearest embassy or consulate for interview appointment availability and up-to-date messages.    
• Q: How many people were affected by this outage?
• We handle an average of 50,000 applications daily worldwide.  During the past two weeks, consular sections have continued to interview travelers who applied June 8 or earlier.  Interviews will now be available for those who applied after June 8.  Visa issuance has been delayed by the systems outage and the backlog will be addressed.
• Q: Once operational, how will cases be prioritized?
• We are already prioritizing urgent humanitarian cases and temporary agricultural workers.  We are working as quickly as possible to clear the backlog of pending visa cases.
• We apologize to travelers and recognize that this has caused hardship to some individuals waiting for visas. 
• Q: What about the foreign agricultural workers (H2A visa holders?)
• Nearly 1,700 temporary or seasonal workers have been issued new visas in Mexico.  These are applicants whose biometric data was captured before the systems went down.  
• An additional 250 received Port of Entry waivers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  We are no longer asking CBP to provide port of entry waivers, as we are now able to issue visas at border posts. 
• Based on our systems progress, we are currently rescheduling more than 1,500 H-2 visa applicants who were unable to be interviewed last week because of systems problems.
• Visa applicants, including agricultural workers, who have not received a visa should not report to the border.  Please contact the nearest embassy or consulate.  
• Q: What about domestic passports?
• Domestic passport operations are functioning, with some processing delays.  
• The technical problems have affected the intake of some mailed applications and same-day service at our passport agencies; however, we continue to issue routine and expedited passports to U.S. citizens for all overseas travel needs.
• Q: What about overseas passports?
• Overseas passport applications are being processed.  There have been delays in some cases, but posts overseas are able to issue emergency passports in urgent cases.

*Connected Posts

1. Paris
2. Monterrey
3. Ciudad Juarez
4. Guangzhou
5. Beijing
6. Shanghai
7. Tijuana
8. Nuevo Laredo
9. Mexico City
10. Guadalajara
11. Mumbai
12. New Delhi
13. Sao Paolo
14. Chennai
15. Manila
16. Bogota
17. Buenos Aires
18. Rio de Janeiro
19. Tel Aviv
20. Merida
21. Hermosillo
22. Karachi
23. Seoul
24. Lima
25. Santo Domingo
26. Kingston
27. Shenyang
28. Chengdu
29. DPT
30. Lagos
31. Guayaquil

32. London
33. Brasilia
34. Moscow
35. San Salvador
36. Quito
37. Ho Chi Minh
38. Hanoi
39. Kyiv

UPDATE: Visa Systems Issues (22 posts restored)

From Travel.State.Gov, 06/22/2015

• The Bureau of Consular Affairs is in the process of resolving technical problems with our visa systems. Though some progress has been made, biometric data processing has not been fully restored.
• Our team continues to work on this 24/7 to restore the systems to full functionality.
• As of noon today, 22 posts have been reconnected, representing about half of the global nonimmigrant visa volume.
• We will continue to bring additional posts online until connectivity with all posts is restored.
• Last week, nearly 1,250 temporary or seasonal workers who had been issued visas in the past were issued new visas in Mexico, and we have issued more than 3,000 visas globally for urgent and humanitarian travel.
• We deeply regret the inconvenience to travelers and recognize the hardship to those waiting for visas, and in some cases, their family members or employers in the United States.
• We continue to post updates to our website, travel.state.gov.

Q: How long before you restore full system functionality?

• Public and private sector experts are making progress in correcting the visa problem, and we are striving to have the system fully reconnected sometime this week.
• As of noon today, 22 posts have been reconnected, representing about half of the global nonimmigrant visa volume. All our servers appear to be stable. There is a large backlog of cases to clear, but we have already made good progress. We will continue to bring additional posts online until connectivity with all posts is restored.
• Overseas and domestic passports are being issued.

Q: How many travelers are affected by this outage?

• Most posts were able to handle visa interviews and some visa printing as usual through the end of last week. This week, many posts have rescheduled visa appointments.
• • We handle an average of 50,000 applications daily worldwide. Many applicants do not have immediate travel plans, and will receive visas in time for planned trips. We are prioritizing urgent medical and other humanitarian cases.

Q: Once operational, how will cases be prioritized?

• We are already prioritizing urgent humanitarian cases and temporary agricultural workers. Once the systems are fully operational, we will work as quickly as possible to clear the backlog of pending visa cases.
• We apologize to travelers and recognize that this has caused hardship to some individuals waiting for visas.

Q: What about domestic passports?

• Domestic passport operations are functioning, with some processing delays. These technical problems have affected the intake of some mailed applications and same-day service at our passport agencies; however, we continue to issue routine and expedited passports to U.S. citizens for all overseas travel needs.

Q: What about overseas passports?

• Overseas passport applications are being processed. There have been delays in some cases, but posts overseas are able to issue emergency passports in urgent cases.

Q: What about the foreign agricultural workers (H2A visa holders?)

• We issued nearly 1,250 H-2 visas for agricultural and temporary workers last week. These are applicants whose biometric data was captured before the systems went down.
• Additionally over the weekend we worked with DHS/CBP to facilitate the entry of more than 250 H-2 workers to travel to their places of employment in the United States.
• CBP has agreed to give cases processed through the U.S. Department of State due consideration. However, no visa applicant, including agricultural workers, should report to the border without first having applied for a visa and having been processed through an embassy or consulate.  
• Based on this weekend’s systems progress, we are currently rescheduling more than 1,500 H-2 visa applicants who were unable to be interviewed last week because of systems problems.

Technological Systems Issue: Passport/Visa Systems Errors

From travel.state.gov, 06/16/2015

The Bureau of Consular Affairs continues to address technical problems with our visa systems.  Some visa applicants will experience delays in receiving visas.  Others will be contacted directly to reschedule their appointments.  Passports are still being processed.

This issue is not specific to any particular country or visa category; this is a global issue.  We do not believe these problems stem from any cyber-security hacking issues.

Our border security responsibilities are critical to the visa process.  We cannot bypass the legal requirements to screen visa applicants before we issue visas for travel. We are assisting visa applicants with urgent humanitarian travel, and adoption cases are being processed.  Individuals with humanitarian travel needs should contact their nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

• What caused this outage?  Was it a malicious action or hack? There is no evidence the problem is cyber security related. 
• How long before you restore full system functionality? Overseas passports are being issued.  Public and private sectors experts are working around the clock to correct the problem, but we do not expect the system will be online before next week.
• How many travelers are affected by this outage? This is a global issue and is having impact on our consular operations.  We are in daily communication with consular operations worldwide to assess the evolving impact and provide guidance, including information for the traveling public.
• Once operational, how will cases be prioritized? Once the systems are fully operational, we will work as quickly as possible to clear the backlog of pending visa cases. We apologize to applicants and recognize that this may cause hardship to applicants waiting for visas.  

Consular Consolidated Database: Updates on Operational Status

From travel.state.gov

We have made significant progress and issued most of the worldwide backlog of nonimmigrant visa cases. We are working to bring the Consular Consolidated Database back to full operational capacity. We continue to prioritize immigrant visas, adoption cases, and emergency nonimmigrant visa cases. We are printing visas for these cases and all cases with very few delays. Please check with the embassy or consulate where you will apply for additional information. Please see our FAQs for more information.

U.S. Consulates in Canada Temporarily Suspend TCN Visa Processing Over the Summer

UPDATE 
From Canada CSC, 06/13/2013

Important information for U.S. residents: Due to increasingly heavy demand by Canada-based visa applicants, U.S. visa processing posts in Canada are unfortunately extremely limited in the ability to accept visa applications from U.S. residents during the peak demand period of June through August. Appointments for visa renewals for U.S. residents who are currently studying or working in the U.S. will be more readily available during non-peak periods in October and November, and January through May.

For information on options for extending or renewing authorization to continue studies or employment while in the U.S., contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Many travelers to Canada and Mexico are eligible for automatic revalidation at a Port of Entry without a new visa.

U.S.-based applicants who need a visa are encouraged to schedule an appointment in their home country. Information on worldwide appointment availability is found on the State Department’s website, www.Travel.State.gov.

From Fragomen.com, 06/10/2014

Third-Country National Visa Appointments Unavailable at U.S. Posts in Canada This Summer The Department of State has confirmed that third-country national (TCN) processing will not be available at any U.S. consular post in Canada from June to August 2014, except in emergency situations. TCN applicants with appointments already scheduled at a post in Canada during these months will not be affected. 

The suspension will primarily affect foreign nationals who seek to renew a visa in Canada rather than travel to their home country. Appointments are expected to be available to foreign permanent residents of Canada, however. 

From www.OgletreeDeakins.com, 06/04/2014

U.S. visa processing posts in Canada are urging third-country national (TCN) applicants to seek appointments at other U.S. Embassies and Consulates, such as those located in the applicants’ home countries. A TCN is an individual who applies for a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in a country where the individual is not a citizen or national.

The U.S. Department of State has reported that, as a result of heavy demand by Canada-based visa applicants during June, July, and August, the seven Canada posts are extremely limited in their ability to accept TCN cases during these peak demand months. Canadian posts will offer increased appointment availability for TCNs during non-peak processing times, namely October and November, and January through May. In the event of emergency cases during the peak demand period, applicants may seek consideration for scheduling an interview at a Canada post by visiting canada.usembassy.gov.

Employment Verification Letters for Immigration Purposes

To help make requesting immigration letters easier, Georgia Tech has partnered with The Work Number®, an automated service that protects your personal information. Immigration letters are designed for employees who travel internationally, supporting documentation for filing immigration forms with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or for visa interviews with the U.S. Consulate.

http://www.ohr.gatech.edu/empverification/immigration 

UPDATE: State Department Reopens 18 Diplomatic Posts in the Middle East and North Africa

From Fragomen.com, 08/12/2013

The State Department has reopened the following U.S. embassies and consulates, which were temporarily closed last week due to threat of terrorist activity in the region: 

        Manama, Bahrain 
        Bujumbura, Burundi 
        Djibouti 
        Cairo, Egypt, 
        Amman, Jordan 
        Kuwait City, Kuwait 
        Antananarivo, Madagascar 
        Port Louis, Mauritius 
        Tripoli, Libya 
        Muscat, Oman 
        Doha, Qatar, 
        Kigali, Rwanda 
        Dhahran, Saudi Arabia 
        Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 
        Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 
        Khartoum, Sudan 
        Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 
        Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

View State Department Temporarily Closes 19 Diplomatic Posts Due to Potential Terrorist Activity in a larger map

The embassy in Sana’a, Yemen will remain closed due to ongoing concerns about terrorist threats in the Arabian Peninsula. 

The consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, which was closed on August 8 due to a separate threat, will remain closed until further notice. 

From Fragomen.com, 08/05/2013

The State Department has temporarily closed 19 U.S. consulates and embassies in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa because of the threat of imminent terrorist activity in the region. The posts are to remain closed until Saturday, August 10, though the closures could be extended beyond this date and to other posts.

The following U.S. embassies and consulates are affected:

        Manama, Bahrain
        Bujumbura, Burundi
        Djibouti
        Cairo, Egypt
        Amman, Jordan
        Kuwait City, Kuwait
        Antananarivo, Madagascar
        Port Louis, Mauritius
        Tripoli, Libya
        Muscat, Oman
        Doha, Qatar
        Kigali, Rwanda
        Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
        Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
        Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
        Khartoum, Sudan
        Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
        Dubai, United Arab Emirates
        Sana’a, Yemen

The State Department is also alerting U.S. citizens to take precautions when abroad. Travelers are urged to register their travel plans with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which can facilitate communication in the event of an emergency.

U.S. Consulates Begin Accepting Visa Applications for Same-Sex Spouses

From Fragomen.com, 08/02/2013

U.S. embassies and consulates will immediately begin to adjudicate visa applications based on same-sex marriages, the State Department has announced. Visa applications based on same-sex marriages will be adjudicated in the same way that opposite-sex spousal applications are treated. 

The State Department makes clear that only same-sex marriages valid in the jurisdiction where they took place will be considered. Same-sex domestic partnerships and civil unions will not qualify. However, both same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried partners continue to be eligible for B-2 domestic partner visas to accompany or join a principal nonimmigrant visa holder. 

Step-children acquired through a same-sex marriage qualify for dependent benefits as long as the marriage took place before the child turned 18. 

The State Department announcement ends several weeks of speculation on the processing of same-sex nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications. Since the Supreme Court decision striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, consulates and embassies had refrained from processing same-sex applications pending further guidance from agency headquarters. 

Department of State Online Case Tracker

The Department of State has introduced the online "Visa Status Check," which allows both immigrant and nonimmigrant applicants to check the status of their cases at the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). 

https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx

US Embassies in China: Changes in Fee Collections

From US Embassy, Beijing, 01/04/2013 

New Deadline for Use of CITIC Fee Receipts

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in China will be transitioning to a new and improved visa fee collection system for Chinese applicants in mid-March 2013.  As a result of this new system, the U.S. visa fee receipts that applicants currently purchase from select CITIC Bank branches will be phased out and will not be valid after March 14, 2013.  There will be no fee increase associated with these changes.  The U.S. Embassy strongly advises all visa applicants to use all current CITIC fee receipts before they expire on March 14, 2013.  After the expiration date, we will be unable to accept receipts issued before March 14 and refunds for expired receipts will not be available.  Visa applicants who plan to apply close to or after March 14 should wait to pay their visa fees until after this date.  Specific details on this new and more convenient way for applicants to pay their visa fees will be announced closer to the transition date.  The implementation of a new system is part of our efforts to continually improve our services for Chinese visa applicants.