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DISCLAIMER
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PETITION IS TO SOLELY REPRESENT THE DIFFICULT SITUATION OF IRANIAN STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS WHO ARE WAITING FOR THEIR U.S. VISAS TO ATTEND THEIR UNIVERSITIES INSIDE THE UNITED STATES (CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC).

NO POLITICAL OR OTHER PURPOSES ARE BEING FOLLOWED. ANY MISUNDERSTANDING OR MISCONCEPTION OF THIS PETITION BY NEWS MEDIA OR OTHER ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS IS ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.

THE ADDRESSEES OF THIS PETITION ARE U.S. OFFICIALS AND RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF VISAS.
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For Iranian students and researchers, facing difficult situations during the visa process is not a new story. During the last two years, the COVID-19 Pandemic and cancellation of routine visa services made it even harder.

Administrative Processing (AP) before the issuance of visas is a routine procedure for most Iranian nationals. However, there has never been a specific time frame for the conclusion of such processing and it can take as short as 40 days or as long as a couple of years. This year, like previous years, most of the applicants who attended visa interviews in the United States embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Pakistan, and Turkey were subjected to AP. What is concerning is that until now, a large number of applicants are still waiting for the result of their AP. Many of us are currently waiting for over 90 days.

It is also worth mentioning that as a result of the global Pandemic causing limited consular activities, most Iranian applicants for the F and J categories have already deferred their admissions at least two or three times. For these students and researchers, not hearing anything from the embassies means that they will lose their admissions, funding, and everything they have worked for tirelessly.

Long AP results in:

• Iranian students losing university admission and funding;
• Not admitting Iranian students by the United States faculty members in the future, simply on the basis of visa problems;
• Waste of student time and tedious application process;
• Choosing other countries like Canada, Australia, and the European countries by elite Iranian students whose first choice for higher education was previously the prestigious institutions of the United States.

For these reasons, we respectfully urge all relevant departments and services, specifically the United States Department of State, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to kindly take our concern into consideration and assist us with this matter and alleviate this burden for all Iranian students and researchers. We understand and respect the importance of taking into consideration the national interests of the United States in issuing visas and by no means do we ask for any intervention in this process. Our only request is to expedite this process so that we would be able to attend our classes on time. We humbly ask you to support us and hear our concerns.

Respectfully submitted.