Administrative Processing

Generally, every visa application must be examined by a consular officer in a personal visa interview at the US consulate / US embassy. As a rule, all visa applicants between 14 and 79 years of age must appear in person at one of the relevant US consulates / US embassies (exception: Visa Reissuance Program).

In most cases, a decision on the application is made directly on site: The consular officers examine the visa application for the USA on the basis of the regular application documents and, if necessary, other supporting documents and records and make a decision on this basis. The US visa is either

1. approved verbally,
2. subject to an additional examination,
3. or not granted.

In some cases, an additional security check – administrative processing – is required before a final decision can be made on the visa application.

If the officers at the US consulate or US embassy decide not to approve the visa immediately, a visa refusal is issued for the time being in accordance with Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The consequence of this is the so-called Administrative Processing - the visa application therefore requires a further security check.