Afghan SIV applicants are often frustrated for not knowing the amount of processing time their SIV case will take for each stage until their visas are issued.
Please keep in mind that it is impossible to estimate or predict the amount of processing time your case might take. The processing times are different for each case and depends on factors such as:
- How quickly the applicant’s HR letter and Recommendation Letters get verified by the SIV program.
- The applicant submitting all required documents and correctly completed applications in a timely manner without anything missing or having mistakes.
- The particular number of applicants undergoing each stage of the process. The large number of applicants are causing processing delays for everyone, especially to those getting processed at US Embassy Kabul.
Keep in mind that there are more factors involved that those listed above.
Common Mistake to Avoid
One of the most common mistakes Afghan applicants make is when they compare their own case with other applicant’s processing time. Please keep in mind that each applicant’s processing time will be different and applicants should avoid doing comparisons to prevent feeling frustrated. Even if applicants applied together at same time, had interviews together or medical together, they will still most likely will have different processing times for getting visas issued.
Average Processing Times
The following are average processing times for each SIV stage and DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE THE SAME PROCESSING TIME. YOUR CASE MIGHT HAVE LONGER PROCESSING TIME.
موارد زیر به طور متوسط پردازش برای هر مرحله (اس. ای. وی) است و پردازش شما ممکن است طولانیتر باشد
- COM Approval Stage: 300 Days
- I-360 and Conditional Approval: 35 Days
- Applicant Waits for Interview appointment: 250 Days
- Administrative Processing: 120 Days
- Total Processing time for visa issuence: 705 Days
Source: Report of Afghan SIV Program – July 2018
Conclusion
The most important point to remember is to avoid making comparisons with other cases and to patiently wait for your own case to be processed for completion until your visa is issued. There is no standard, fixed processing time for each SIV stage. ALL APPLICANTS WILL HAVE DIFFERENT PROCESSING TIME!
Where to get help?
If you would like to request help with your case, have case issues or complex questions not answered in the SIV Guide Page or Frequently Asked Questions page then, visit the Help page to get information about assistance.
Suggestion to Avoid Delays
It is very important to regularly open and check your DS-260 application status to make sure it shows “Complete”.
If DS-260 application shows “Incomplete” or “Re-Open”, then it will delay your case processing and your case might be stuck until you fix the issue. Do not wait for US embassy to inform you. The embassy will not inform you about fixing your DS-260 application.
The US embassy will not fix your DS-260 application. You must fix it yourself.
See this post for instructions to check and fix your DS-260 application.