Administrative processing?

Question

What are the reasons that some people have to have administrative processing when they apply for a US tourist visa? What are typical wait times?

-On 20 July 2007 my father-in-law applied for a visitor visa to the US so that he could meet my parents and assist me and my children in coming back to Tunisia (I was in the US at the time). He has been to the US previously, and met all the requirements for a visa, but they told him it would take 2 weeks for administrative processing. As of today (6 Nov) he has still not received his visa.

-On 15 October my husband applied for a tourist visa so that we could visit our daughter in the US (she studies there) and because my husband wants to be able to go with me and the kids to visit my parents in the spring. He too has had previous visits to the US before we met and since we've been together, and they told him all his paperwork was in order, yet he had to go through administrative processing.

Can someone help me make sense of this?

Answer 1

It is probably because they think there is a possibility that your father-in-law and husband may illegally settle in the US.

What with yourself, your parents and your children being US citizens, it would be a natural progression to move the rest of the family over, and the US treats all visa applicants as intending immigrants unless they prove otherwise.

Also, people from Tunisia may require a little more investigation (generally happens to people from Africa/Asia: they are possibly running a name check on them, this can take several months).

Even so, I have Tunisian citizenship myself and 100 times out of 100 I would rather deal with the Americans: the Tunisians bureaucracy is unbelievable sometimes.

Answer 2

i have had a us visa since 76 as well i studied there. last year when i applied to renew my visa i had to go Thur some extra process i dont know what it is called . eventually i got the visa i think it a just a  extra security check or clearance.