Nonimmigrant Visa Delays Caused by Electronic Verification Requirement
According to a Department of State cable (No. 155679) sent to the field on November 13, 2007, consular posts are now able to access the details of approved nonimmigrant visa petitions in a new report called “PIMS” (Petition Information Management Service). The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) has ceased e-mailing scanned copies of approved petitions to posts. The electronic PIMS record created by the KCC will now be the primary source of evidence to be used in determining petition approval. This applies to all nonimmigrant petition-based visa categories (H, L, O, P, and Q). The PIMS Petition Report contains a record of all petitioners recorded by the KCC as having approved petitions since 2004. In addition, many of the records contain information from KCC’s Fraud Prevention Unit.
Reportedly, this unanticipated change has resulted in four-day delays at many posts from interview to visa issuance for these categories. The Academy of Business Immigration Lawyers is monitoring the situation.
