Chennai Consulate Procedures for "Administrative Processing"
Posted Jun 02, 2006
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The U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India recently issued guidance and clarification for persons who have been refused visas, pending "administrative processing." Anyone who has experienced a hold for administrative processing knows that it can result in lengthy delays. In order to avoid unnecessary follow-up by telephone and/or eMail, the consulate has put into place an online status system for some administrative processing cases.
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Pink and Blue Notices
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Persons for whom visa application cases have been refused, pending administrative processing, will now receive a handout at the end of the interview. This paper will be either pink or blue in color.
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Blue Handout - Online Information Not Allowed : The blue handouts either will say that additional information is needed or that additional processing is required. Information on these cases is not available online. These applicants are instructed to wait until the consulate contacts them regarding their cases. These applicants will receive specific instructions, apparently following further review of their cases. Individuals receiving the blue notices are instructed not to contact the consulate.
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Pink Handout - Online Information Allowed : Those receiving pink handouts have access to the online case status system. The guidance reports that this information is updated daily. There are three possible remarks that will appear as case status. These are pending process, contact the consulate, or send passport.
 

• Pending Process Presumably for Security Checks - Cases with the notation of "pending process" are undergoing administrative processing. The consulate can neither issue a visa nor waive this type of processing. The consulate specifically notes that this is not related to the number of times an individual has been able to obtain visas in the past, nor is it a matter of missing documents. The consulate directs these individuals not to contact them while the case is "pending process." Based on these comments, and the eMail address provided for later contact, it appears that these cases are undergoing security review.
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• Contact Consulate with Documents to Wrap up Security-Related Issues - Those persons directed to contact the consulate have cases that have been processed, but the consulate needs additional information to complete the case. These individuals should send a brief eMail to (Chennaisao@state.gov). The eMail subject line needs to include the case number and "Contact American Consulate, Chennai." The consulate suggests a simple eMail indicating that the website has instructed the individual to contact the consulate, followed by a request for directions as to any further documents needed for the application.
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• Send Passport & DD Notation - Cases with the "send passport" notation will have specific instructions as to exactly what the applicant needs to send. The instructions could request the passport and demand draft (DD) from the visa applicant. Others could request supporting documentation, such as the I-20 for students or the DS-2019 for J-1 exchange visitors. The consulate warns that, if a request is made for an itinerary, the individual also needs to send proof that the travel is still valid and necessary.
  
  Instructions on how to send the documents, via VFS Services, are on the website for the Chennai consulate, as are the fees and instructions for the fees.  

Conclusion
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We at the Murthy Law Firm appreciate clarification from the U.S. Consulate at Chennai on this important matter, as many visa applicants are confused by the delays in their cases. Through the use of technology, hopefully, even delays caused by security clearances will be resolved in an efficient manner. Although the importance of security is clear, it is also true that justice delayed is justice denied. In the overwhelming majority of cases, there is no security issue, whatsoever. Visa applicants who are delayed excessively, however, may lose their jobs and/or other opportunities that can be burdensome to them and to their employers, not comporting with our sense of justice. It is our hope that this clarification will enable MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers to better plan, to whatever extent possible.