DOS Visa Security Review Q&As

Taken Questions
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
September 24, 2002
Question from the September 24, 2002, Daily Press Briefing

Visa Security Reviews

Question: From how many countries were the 10,000 backlogged visas?

Answer: The 10,000 authorizations sent last week went to 35-40 visa issuing posts, representing roughly that same number of nationalities.

Question: How long is the delay in processing?

Answer: For visa applications subject to the Visas Condor procedure, from now on we estimate a clearance time of one month, although specific cases may take less or more time.

Question: How many visas are issued per year?

Answer: Over the past 12 months, the State Department issued approximately 5.7 million non-immigrant visas of all classes worldwide.

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Released on September 24, 2002