Approvals

How will I get my passport back?

If the visa is approved, applicants receive their passport and visa by mail.  The passport is delivered in an e-parcel to the delivery address selected in the online profile.  This address can be reviewed and updated until midnight on the day of the interview.

Passport delivery usually takes about five business days following the interview, but can take longer, depending on individual circumstances.  The applicant will receive an email once the passport has been dispatched from our office, notifying them of the associated tracking number. 

Applicants may also send an email to passportstatus@ustraveldocs.com and in the subject and/or body enter a valid passport number exactly as it was entered at the time the appointment was scheduled. Do not add any additional text. You will receive an automatic response with the status. Please note that no information will be available until after the visa has been issued and posted out.

Arrival after mailing depends on the Australian postal system.  Please note, an adult will need to be home to sign for receipt of the e-parcel.  If no-one can sign for the e-parcel, it will be assigned to the local post office for collection there. 

The Consulate General cannot be held responsible for extra costs due to changing tickets or rebooking flights if delivery is delayed.  We therefore strongly urge you not to purchase tickets until you have received your visa and passport in the mail.  

Additional Documentation

The consular officer may request that you provide additional documentation in order to make a decision about your qualifications for a visa.  The officer will advise what documents you need to collect. In this case, the officer may return your passport to you until we are able to issue the visa.  Some applicants, including those with previous visa refusals or arrests may require additional administrative processing before an outcome can be reached.  The consular officer will inform you of the procedures in these cases.  

Original Documents

The officer may advise you that we require original documents (such as an I-20 for DS-2019 form for students).  Instructions for posting in original documents can be found here. Our office offers a free service for postage of additional documentation at participating Australia Post outlets. If you prefer, you may also post the documents in from any location in a standard envelope.

Please note that all incoming mail to the U.S. Consulate must first be screened for security purposes before it reaches our office.  This process may delay the receipt of your documents by up to three business days.  If you attempt to track the status of your parcel and it reflects “received,” this does not necessarily mean that a member of the Consular Staff has received or reviewed your documents

Scanned Documents

The officer may advise you that you can scan and send your documents (such as your CV, publications, or bank statements).  In this case, please email the documents we requested to the appropriate email address for the Consulate that you attended: Sydney_files@ustraveldocs.com,
Melbourne_files@ustraveldocs.com or Perth_files@ustraveldocs.com.  Once the documents are received, we will continue to process your visa application.

Processing Times

The processing times quoted below are approximate and cannot be guaranteed. 

If your visa application is approved, you will need to leave your passport at the Consulate in order to process your visa.  Please plan your international travel accordingly.  Passports with visas are normally returned to applicants via Australia Post within 5-7 business days after the interview appointment. As advised above, the passport will be posted to the address selected in your online profile. Please ensure this is the most appropriate and accurate address before you go to the interview. 

Applicants whose visa applications require additional administrative processing should allow up to 60 days for their visas to be processed.

Applicants who have previously been arrested or convicted will likely require a waiver of ineligibility.  Approval of a waiver is currently taking over 26 weeks, and you will need to provide details of your conviction in the form of court records or an Australian Police Certificate based on fingerprints. Be aware that it is your responsibility to obtain these records should they be required.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for visas well in advance of their proposed travel.  You should never pay for travel arrangements (e.g., airfare, hotels) without having a visa in your possession.  The U.S. Consulate General accepts no responsibility if you do so.  We are unable to guarantee the issuance of a U.S. visa before a fixed travel date. 

Can you return my passport?

Yes, we can return your passport to you at any time.  If your application is subject to additional processing and your passport is still at the U.S. Consulate, we can return your passport to you via Australia Post.  Please send a request to support-australia@ustraveldocs.com with your name as it appears in your passport and the Australian address to which you would like your passport sent. 

At the conclusion of the additional processing, if we are able to issue you a visa, we will contact you by e-mail to request that you return your passport to the U.S. Consulate so that the U.S. visa can be placed in your passport.   Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to submit their passport in a prompt and timely manner, as delays in receiving the passport may result in delays issuing the visa.

Refusals  

In some cases your visa application may be refused.  Please see our ‘Refusals and Administrative Processing’ page for more information on the different types of refusals and when you may be able to reapply.  If your application is denied, the officer will return your passport to you, but will retain the application.  

If your application is refused, the MRV processing fee will not be refunded.