As US consulates across the world are still struggling to overcome a systems outage which caused a backlog of visa and passport applications, Australians are finding their US visa processing delayed.
The State Bureau of Consular Affairs performed a software update to the Oracle-based US consular consolidated database (CCD) on 20 July, however this resulted in the system going down for three days.
While the system is back online, it is only at a limited capacity with it estimated weeks before normal operations resume.
The issue has affected US consulates worldwide, resulting in travellers being unable to obtain visas, passports or consular reports of birth abroad.
Travellers are being warned that while the system is operating at around 50% of its normal capacity, visa applications for non-immigrant visas could take an extra 14 days to process.
Travellers have been informed that applicants who interviewed with a US consulate after 21 July are able to request to have their passport returned to them without the US visa.
Those seeking urgent visas to travel to the US can submit a request however the US Embassy warned only "true emergencies of an extraordinary humanitarian nature" would be considered.
People with previously-issued valid visas are not affected, nor is anyone travelling under the US visa waiver program.
