System down: US visa become literally unobtainable

US Visas have become literally unobtainable in all consulates worldwide for nearly two weeks as IT specialists have struggled to fix the country’s malfunctioning consular database. the real problems emerged after the Bureau of Consular Affairs updated the software for the Oracle-based CCD on July 20, as had been recommended by the operating company. The system was down until July 23, when its operations were partially restored. The system is still not working at full capacity, however. 

The glitch has already affected a large number of potential visitors to the US, as over 200 US consulates around the world issue thousands of visas on a daily basis, the Wall Street Journal said. The problem is hitting travelers particularly hard during peak vacation season, as those who applied for a US visa cannot travel to other countries while their passports are with US authorities. They have to simply have patience and wait until the situation is resolved. For those planning to visit the US on business visas, deals may now have to be postponed or canceled. The same applies to athletes, actors and other professionals who may fail to fulfill previously signed contracts and must be present in the US by a certain date. 


Even diplomats who need to visit the UN headquarters or financial institutions in New York for urgent negotiations have not been spared the delays. Scientists and high-tech workers now waiting for temporary work visas, such as H-1B visas, have had their interviews canceled or rescheduled, the WSJ reported. 
  

In Russia the “no visa” situation was misinterpreted at first, due to the growing tension between Moscow and Washington over developments in Ukraine and MH17 crash two days prior to the US consular database going offline. In the confusion, some Russians who had applied for US visas or were planning to do so jumped to the conclusion that the US consulate’s refusal to process their documents was part of the sanctions against Russia. It took a couple of days until an official announcement from the State Department clarified that the problem was worldwide, not confined to Russia. 

In 2013 alone, the US Bureau of Consular Affairs issued 9.1 million nonimmigrant visas and nearly half a million immigrant visas, US media reported, along with issuing some 13 million passports. As of December 2009, the CCD database already contained over 100 million visa cases and 75 million photographs, and was growing by 35,000 visa cases daily, PIA reported.