₦airaland Forum

Hello guys, has anyone gone through administrative processing lately and what was the outcome?


Went for my f1 visa renewal current phd student but was put on administrative processing . I wasn’t asked any question really.

This is my third visa interview the two previous were approved.

Transcript:
VO was typing for about 5 mins after collecting my passport then asked visa renewal right?
Me: yes
Vo continues typing for a few more minutes and asked for my transcript.
I hand over the transcript.
Vo looks and was like wow, all As. Asks for cgpa then finds it. Says that’s impressive.

Next thing asks if I have traveled to Gaza . I answer no
Then ask if I am traveling with family
I answer that my husband is a PhD student.
She asks in same school? I say yes. (This has always been the case even in my first f1 visa interview)

By this time I believe Vo was already filling the administrative processing form while asking me these questions.


Vo asks for my i20 and adds it to my passport then hands me the letter then tells me I have been denied based on 221g and placed on administrative processing. I don’t have to do anything but wait if I am approved, I can pick up my passport following the instructions on other form if not they’d mail back my passport.


I checked the status of my visa when I got home and it says denied and if I was put on administrative processing then it will keep showing denied till a decision has been made.

Has anyone been in similar situation? Should I be worried that it shows denied instead of administrative processing?

Not sure why this is happening.
Ps: My research is related to STEM

SOS. Needs urgent response.



I have my visa interview in few hours and not sure if I need to book the OIS pickup before or after the interview?


Also, are there still DHL pickups available? If I don’t book OIS will it be automatically sent to DHL? What are the typical pickup times for all pickup options. Thanks

Hi all,


Can someone walk me through the application process? I was transferred from the old portal so I have my information pre-filled on the AVITS portal. I already have a visa date. What do i do after that? I have heard about booking OIS passport pickup. do i do this before my appointment or after?

Thanks.

macoslordofthee:
Hello I am a new member of this forum. I recently graduated from UNN with a GPA in 3.4 in Pure and Industrial Chemistry and I am interested in applying for my PhD in Chemistry for Fall 2025. I am preparing to take the GRE test and also searching for some schools online but I am open to receiving any recommendations for schools that offer funding for PhD in Chemistry for Fall 2025. Thank you.

Hi,

Is this GPA /4 or /5? Ideally, you should have at least a second class upper which would be a 3.5/5 if you want to do a PhD directly from a bachelors degree. In fact most people who go directly to a PhD from bachelors from other countries to the US typically have a first class. If you have an additional masters degree then it can increase your chances if you don’t have a first class.


That said, you can check out phd in chemistry university of Connecticut . I know they offer full funding to students.

For those looking for date, there’s a slot for 7:30am today 18th December in Lagos

Chemist4life:
Ok,did you write the reason why you miss your interview together with ur resumption date

Yes I did. They just advised to reschedule and submit emergency request

Chemist4life:
I will suggest, you chat the up and explain ur issues to them

We chatted them up and they were the ones who suggested to reschedule and apply for emergency appointment.

Ihomon:
Hello, I booked for Abuja consulate in my ds160 but am yet to get a Favourable date and my school resumes 14 January. Is it advisable to book for appointment in Lagos embassy since there are good dates there OR I should go for expedited booking at the Abuja embassy ?
Your candid advice is urgently needed.

Hi Ihomon,

I am wondering if you were able to get dates for emergency appointments ?

Hi Nairalanders,


So I am a current PhD student. I had a visa interview (renewal) for 12th and was supposed to travel in to Nigeria on the 8th. The airline canceled the trip and rebooked us for 10th. Meaning we’d arrive Nigeria a day before our interview. Unfortunately, we missed that flight and we couldn’t meet the interview.


We’ve called and were advised to reschedule and apply for emergency appointments. So we were able to reschedule before the interview date but only available dates were in April. We’ve applied for the emergency appointment through the portal but haven’t gotten any response since Wednesday
.

School resumes 19th January for spring semester and our GA appointment starts 8th January.

I guess my question is, does anyone know the fastest way to get the emergency appointment expediated? How do I contact them to get this resolved asap? Has anyone been in similar situation and what did they do?


We have called the embassy and even raised ticket but all we’ve been asked to do is wait.

Thanks for your response.

One last question, Did you also fill the interview waiver thing on the AVITS website for your mum or you just booked on OIS website?
Also, how long did it take for her to get her visa?

thanks

GraciousWords:
Same thing happened to my mum - her new AVITS letter was for a regular interview even though she had a IW letter from the previous portal.

I called the AVITS helpdesk twice and spoke with their support via the chat function and all three times, they told me she was supposed to go for an interview!

My NL people advised to just book with OIS and submit for the same day as was listed on the AVITS letter....but I was very nervous so even though I went ahead to book a drop off appointment with OIS for the same day as the AVITS letter, I still asked her to go to the embassy on Walter Carrington first (based on the AVITS feedback)....GUESS WHAT? She was redirected to OIS by the embassy!

If you're in Lagos, both places are in VI so you could book and go to OIS first (book a drop off for the same date as on your current AVITS letter), see what they say and worst case if they do not allow you to drop off you go back to the embassy........or do the embassy first before OIS like my mum did.

The chaos from this migration is unbelievable!

Taal17:
go to OIS website and pick a date for drop off your passport.
Even with the old portal you would not being going to the embassy to drop off - the drop would have been at DHL

Don’t I need to get a waiver first? Currently my application confirmation just shows regular interview with embassy address and instructions on what to bring for the interview.


I don’t mind going for the interview , I am just asking if I can go there for an interview instead of doing the IW

Hi Guys,


So, I have some questions and concerns

I paid for my visa in the old portal and applied for Interview waiver.
Now, after migration to the new portal, my application just shows regular with no information about how and where to drop my passport.

my question is, Can i just walk in into the embassy and do an interview instead?
If not, what do i need to do for the IW process? I have been reading people talking about OIS but not sure how it works. Do I need to register on the OIS website and pick a date for passport dropoff that corresponds to the one on my application at AVITS?
Can I register for this on the day of my appointments?


Sorry for the many questions. I am just a bit worried as my interview is in few days and I wnat to get it right before leaving the US. (My current visa has expired)

Thanks

Go to the interview with a copy of your most recent passport. I filled the form with a passport from 4 years ago but snapped a new one few days to my interview which I took along with me.

kenwizy:
Pls house, I use the pics that I used last year on my ds form ?

Please what can I do as I have already sunmitted my old pix for the second application.

My interview is in 3days time from now..

What can I do please...?

I don't think it's an issue.

I filled 3 to 4 ds160 forms for the same application/interview slot. The first one was for my f2. Filled in the second one but forgot to note the confirmation number. Filled a third one but when I was done, I noticed an error in my name. Then a filled a fourth one which I used. You are permitted to change your ds160 form if you want but has to be before 72 hours to the interview ie 3 days. Once you fill a new form, just go to your CGI portal and update your profile with the new number. Please do this at least 72 hours to your interview. Need I say that I got my visa approved with all the changes I made?

BigboysZ:
Sadly, you can't delete it and they have your information in their database.

I can't give a specific advice because you have submitted a wrong information before and now you want to correct it. Doing that will show inconsistency and it's a red flag.

I would suggest you leave it if it's something you can defend, otherwise, I really don't know what to tell you.

Let's see what others have to say.

Yes definitely. That's what was stated in the DS160 form if I remember

omooye22:
To be clear, you are not required to disclose anyone who is not an immediate relative. The US government is not interested in your Aunt or Uncle. They want to know about immediate relatives, such as your parents, your kids, and your siblings. I agree that you answer truthfully always.

Like I said, say the truth and don't lie about anything.

Except, of course, you are not close to your relative in the US, you should name them.

If I am not mistaken, I think the DS160 form lists specifically the kind of relatives they are asking for (brother, sister, father, etc)

If you lie about it, they will most likely find out. Except the said relatives migrated illegally, its not something you should be worried about.

ciarasommy:
Congratulations dear. This your interview really showcased your academics skills and shows you are truly a scholar.
Just a quick one: if someone has an Uncle or Aunty from maternal side staying in the US, would it be necessary accepting you have a relative or friend when asked to indicate.? Not talking of immediate relative ooo. I asked because people will always advice that you check "No" whether relative or immediate relative to avoid them denying you Visa.

For those asking for my transcript, here it is. Before I go on, I would like to state that I am the student whose spouse is already in the US on an f1 visa (Ph.D.)


VISA APPROVED
Interview Day: May, 2022. (This week)
Course: Ph.D. in Computer Engineering
School: an R1 school in the US
Funding: 100% fee waiver and half TA (about 13,000 USD)
Deficit: about 12,000 USD

Also note: I initially applied for an f2 visa in october 2021 after my spouse left (as we got married legally after his interview before he left) so when I got an offer for my Ph.D., I filled out a new DS160 form for an f1 visa instead. This was advised by the customer service representative I called. So long story short, I used my f2 slot for my f1 visa.


After my thumbprint and document check, I walked to the VO window.

VO: Good morning, please pass me your document.
I pass the document and they scan it.
VO: So why are you going for a Ph.D. in Computer engineering, that must be wow.
Me: I am going for a Ph.D. at the University of Bleep because I want to advance my career and it is the right time for me. I recently finished my Masters's degree in Data Science from Bleep University in the UK and I learned soso and so. That has prepared me for research in Machine Learning (ML) and I want to go deeper.

Additionally, while researching the schools, I came across Prof. Bleep work on mental health; using ML to predict depression from mobile phone data and it caught my attention specifically because a close family member suffered from mental health challenge and left home in 2018 unaware of her present environment (AKA she went missing). With my research, I want to be able to use ML to detect patterns in patients' data or data such as smartphone data for early detection of mental health challenges and other medical diseases and to connect patients to healthcare quickly before their ailment gets worse.


(At the point where I mentioned a family member suffering from depression, she left what she was typing and was looking straight into my eyes. she was listening attentively like I said something that touched her. )


Additionally, I have funding from the school that waives my tuition.

At this point, they cut in and ask.

VO: who is paying for your fees?
Me: I have funding that waives 100% of my tuition and covers a part of my living expenses. (cuts in and say you have a Teaching Assistantship looking at my DS160 I guess from the screen)

I continue: Yes TA. I will also be covering the other part of the funding from my personal savings.

VO: How did you come about the savings?
Me: I worked at Bleep during my master's and was able to save up some money during that time.

VO: oh so you had a scholarship for your masters and saved up some funds? That's impressive.
Me: yes

VO: are you married?
ME: yes

Vo: what happens to your family?
Me: Oh, my spouse is currently doing his Ph.D. in the same school at the Bleep department on f1 visa.

VO: do you have any kids?
Me: not yet.

VO: I can see you have a j1 visa before, what was it for?
Me: Yes, I participated in Bleep exchange program sponsored by the US government at University of Bleep in Bleep year.

VO: But you have a 2 years residency clause

(two years of residency means I am meant to be in Nigeria for at least 2 years after the exchange program before applying for an H1 visa or permanent residency visa and some others. I only researched about it after I left the interview. I knew I had that 2 years stuff but from my knowledge, it didn't affect f1 visa plus I had done 2 years in Nigeria cumulatively)

At this point, I was dumbfounded. was confused because I never thought this would be an issue. VO goes on to ask me where I did my master's and when I came back. responded that it was in the UK and I got back early last year.

VO: That is not up to 2 years then. Tell me again, when did you come back from the US, and when did you go for your masters and return.
Me: Gives precise dates of when I came back.

VO: but you've been in Nigeria since then right? and you were in Nigeria after your exchange program before your masters?

Me: Yes.

Vo took a pen and wrote all the travel details down. Did some calculations and told me they would get back to me. went inside with these details. at this point, I was already speaking in tongues cos by my calculation, I stayed about 13 months after my exchange program before going for my master's and have spent about 15 months in Nigeria since my master's.


VO comes back shortly still looking at some documents, and types some things on their computer. Oh, I forgot to add that they were typing all through my interview except when I mentioned my family member's health challenge. Then I noticed Vo picking up a white paper and says.

VO: Your visa has been approved, you will need this paper for so so and so.

At this point, I was overjoyed. Was smiling from inside my mask lol.

Me: would that be all?
VO: yes, congratulations again and wish you a safe trip.


Me: thank you. Walks out of the interview room and took a deep breath of relief.


SOME TIPS THAT MY EXPERIENCE TAUGHT ME
1. Be honest. Don't hide information and lie about things and think they won't figure it out.

2. Take your time to fill out your DS160 form. Again don't lie here. They know all these things. If you have been denied before also state it and give reasons. I have never been denied a visa but I didn't fill in my j1 status on my DS160 form as there was no provision for that but they somehow knew cos they have the details in their system.

3. If you have a gap say employment or study gap, be truthful about it and explain why. Try to give a logical and convincing explanation of why. Don't just say I have been looking for work and didn't find it. lol.
I haven't been in full-time employment since I returned however, I have been taking some courses to prepare for my Ph.D. and also published a book, and got married within that 15 months. Additionally, I had taken up some contract jobs for some well known organisations both in Nigeria and outside the country within this time. Those are the explanations I gave for being unemployed.

4. Don't falsify documents or lie about your status of something. They will definitely find out by asking you an unexpected question and since you haven't planned how to respond to back up the lie, you will just be stammering lol.

5. Arrive early. I arrived an hour before my interview and from all the screenings straight to the interview, I spent less than an hour. So, before my interview time, I was already done with the interview.

6. For those who are married to a spouse in the US, don't hide this information. Just say it as it is. It would most likely not affect you if they are there legally except of course yáll have ulterior motives and they will still find out anyways.


sorry for the long story. Lol. I am a writer so don't blame me. *covers face*

Hello,


I have similar experience as you.
MY spouse has been in the US on f1 visa before I applied for graduate school. My interview was this week and my visa has been issued.


You don't have to lie about anything. Just state it as it is.


I was asked "are you married "? I said yes. Then the next question was so what happens to family when you are away. I told the VO that my spouse is currently in the US on f1 visa and I have no kids yet.

If every other thing is good, then this shouldn't be an issue.


To answer your question about statement, there isa high probability that the VO wouldn't even look at your statement, however, printing the extra 2 months statement or requesting it wouldn't hurt. You want to make sure every t is crossed from your end and you have nothing to worry about.

mobbwc:
Good day House,

1. Does it make sense or work to attend the interview in May 2022 with a SOA that was gotten/printed in March 2022?

2. anyone has/or have heard of an f1 applicant who has/had a spouse on f1 already located in the US at the time of their interview? Will like to know the complexities and things to lookout for.

Please advise.

Thanks. The visa has been issued.

UmmZayd:
Congratulations and you're already worried. Since it was approved, don't be worried

Good evening Guys,


I am new to Nairaland and this is my first post here.


So I did my Visa interview today and was told it's been approved. However, I tried to track the status of my visa out of curiosity on https://ceac.state.gov/ and it says "Administrative Processing". I have googled what it means and it seems to be that it's for people who need additional screening and they are usually told during the interview? Sometimes the wait time can be weeks r even months?


I was told mine was approved so I am wondering if this is a normal status for everyone immediately after the interview.

I also tracked using https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ and was told my passport is still with the US consulate.

Now my question is, Is the administrative process status normal for everyone immediately after the interview or should I be worried?