The U.S. State Department has announced that the Bureau of Consular Affairs is experiencing technical problems with its visa systems, causing delays in printing visas and threatening to require rescheduling some visa interviews. The issue is not country-specific and, therefore, has affected visa applicants worldwide. The State Department expects the systems to be fully operational “soon.”

The State Department said a June 9 hardware failure halted the flow of biometric clearance requests to the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). The legal requirements necessary to screen visa applicants before visas are issued compel it to wait until the problems are resolved before individuals who submitted online applications or were interviewed for visas on or after June 9 will receive their visas, the State Department said.

Meanwhile, the State Department is working to assist visa applicants with urgent humanitarian need for travel and those awaiting overseas adoption related visas.

Guidance to Visa Applicants

Applicants who were interviewed on or after June 9, 2015, expect a delay in visa issuance and a possible delay in travel plans to the U.S. Visa applicants who have been interviewed and are awaiting visa issuance can request that their passport be returned, but they will need to return to the consulate for visa issuance once the technical issue is resolved. If you have been affected by this technical issue and have an urgent need to travel, please contact your Jackson Lewis immigration attorney for assistance.