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Nonimmigrant Visas

General Information

Opening Hours

Arrival-Departure Record (I-94)

Our Service Commitment

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Voluntary Departure/ Bond Returns

How to Read Your Visa

Application Process

Renewal of Lost, Expired, or Mutilated Visas

What to Expect

Additional processing

Visa Refusals

Visa Types

Business/Tourist

Student/Exchange

Work

Diplomatic/Official(A/C3/G)

Petition-based (H/L/O/P/Q)

Specialty Position E-3

FAQ

Immigrant Visas

American Citizen Services

applicants requiring additional processing

In most cases, the consular officer will tell you at the time of your interview if your visa application has been approved. However, some applications require additional processing before a visa can be issued. This processing can take several weeks.

There are several reasons that applications may require administrative processing, such as scientific or technical background, arrests or immigration violations, or other administrative reasons. The consular officer will tell you what you need to do and how long you may need to wait before the visa can be issued at the end of your interview. Detailed below are the most common reasons for additional processing.

Applicants with Scientific or Technical Background

Visa applications for persons who work or study in certain sensitive scientific and technical fields may be subject to additional processing. The process, on average, takes approximately three to four weeks to complete. If the consular officer has informed you that you will require additional processing, please send the requested information to tlvspecials@state.gov as soon as possible to facilitate the clearance process. Please see “Applicants with Scientific or Technical Background” under the Visitor B1/B2 for more information.

Arrests or Immigration Violations

Applicants who have been arrested, in Israel or in the United States, or who violated U.S. immigration law in the past will likely require additional processing. The consular officer will return your passport to you, and you will be required to return to the Embassy on any Wednesday or Friday that the Embassy is open at 10:30 a.m. to have fingerprints taken of all ten fingers. (This is a different process from the two “biometric” fingerscans taken at every visa interview.) You must pay a fee of $85 for this service at the cashier for the American Citizen Services Unit of the Embassy. The fingerprints are then sent to the FBI in Washington, DC. When the Embassy receives a reply from the FBI, you will be notified and asked to return to the Embassy for additional questions or to issue the visa. This process normally takes anywhere from four to six weeks. To facilitate this process, we recommend that you bring any documents related to the arrest or immigration violation with you to the interview or when you return for fingerprinting.