My clients in Ohio, Michigan, Washington, DC and all across the nation are always nervous about the visa interview. They have every right to be nervous although, most of the time, they are able to easily obtain their visa stamped after anxieties of much anticipated difficulties at the consular office. The truth is that an alien who truly values life in the US, knows all too well that things at the visa stamping interview may go wrong which can threaten his or her future in the US. Well, if you have an H, L or O visa and you are thinking about getting your passport stamped, you should be aware of several things that could impact the duration of your visa stamping process:
1. Security Clearance Procedure: These processes are instituted to protect the US from the transfer of technology sensitive information and any potentially adverse issue touching national security. They are called Visa MANTIS or DONKEY; the way it works is that following a visa application, the consulate would request various agencies in the US (FBI, CIA, Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Commerce, Office of Foreign Asset Control, Interpol, the national criminal and law enforcement databases, the DOS Bureau of Non-proliferation, etc.) to check on any issues that might be of a concern. This security process can be as short as a week and can take on several months. It is important to know that citizens of certain countries are likely to experience longer delays than others. The Visa Mantis program is explained on the US Department of State website.
2. Procedure at the Consulate: Prior to making your visa interview, please check these important steps which are explained at a great details. Be precise and deliberate. Follow the instructions as they are very simple. Most if not all of my clients are very intelligent individuals and I truly believe that they can successfully master these simple steps.
3. Petition Information Management Service (PIMS) system: This is a document sharing mechanism that is truly useful which allows the USCIS and the Department of State to make certain documents available to the US Consulates. This system can be used only if your attorney sends a duplicate original petition when requesting consular processing, a change or even an extension of status. The additional duplicate petition is sent by the USCIS to the State Department's Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) which in turn scans it and places it in the system database that can be viewed by the US Consulates. The US Consulate will then be able to easily check the petition and all of the supporting documentation online through PIMS and will not have to rely on the alien to bring in a certified copy of the filed petition. It is highly advisable to take advantage of this system.
Following these simple steps can make the stamping process so much simpler. Best of luck.
