On July 20, 2014 the Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) underwent a recommended software update.
Since then the CCD -a database containing essential information for the printing of U.S. passports and U.S. visas – has experienced major outages. As a result there was a significant backlog in the system causing difficulties for applicants who are awaiting their U.S. visas and passports. The Department of State has confirmed that it has made “made significant progress and issued most of the worldwide backlog of nonimmigrant visa cases.”
The Department of State is reporting significant progress, while also reporting prioritization of immigrant visas, adoption cases, and emergency nonimmigrant visa cases. The Department of State, however, continues to advise visa applicants that they might experience delays of up to one week in addition to normal processing times.
Becker & Lee LLP continues to advise clients who need to apply for or renew visas abroad to plan additional time for visa processing and to expect longer than normal delays.