December 17, 2001 - Approximately 300 visa applications sent to the Department of State Visa Office in October are in quarantine pending anthrax decontamination. According to Visa Office (VO) sources, the applications involved were probably sent to St. Louis for revalidation on October 17, 18, or 19. The applications are in five boxes that are being held as part of a mandatory anthrax decontamination process, and the VO will not have access to them until the process is complete.

Visa revalidation applicants who suspect that their case may be impacted can call the VO's Public Inquiries line at (202) 663-3211 to confirm. If an individual impacted by the hold up has immediate travel needs, the VO indicated that it could provide a letter to support a new passport application. However, unless they can wait for decontamination to complete, most applicants will need to obtain new visas at United States consulates abroad. Rare exceptions may be made for life and death situations involving the applicant or close family members.

The Visa Office also advised that it is working overtime to catch up on revalidation cases, seeking to lessen the current 12-week backlog. For further information, please see our website article posted on November 21.

Source: AILA Infonet

Larry Drumm, Attorney
Berry, Appleman & Leiden LLP
San Francisco Office