F-1 221(g) Tracker
F-1 student visa cases only — 810 community-reported 221(g)s (22% of everything tracked), with wait times by consulate, what posts ask students for, and how often a F-1 221(g) actually ends badly. Updated as reports arrive.
F-1 221(g) wait by consulate
Posts with at least five tracked F-1 cases, largest first. Median is interview to approval across resolved cases. For comparison, the median across all visa types is 2 days. Posts with a dedicated F-1 page are linked.
| Consulate | F1 cases | Pending | Resolved | Median | 75th pct | Email req |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Delhi · F1 page | 131 | 57 | 60 | 2d | 17d | 41% |
| Mumbai · F1 page | 53 | 14 | 36 | 1d | 6d | 33% |
| Hyderabad · F1 page | 42 | 14 | 25 | 10d | 21d | 89% |
| Chennai · F1 page | 38 | 12 | 23 | 2d | 30d | 67% |
| London · F1 page | 26 | 14 | 12 | 3d | 9d | 67% |
| Islamabad | 17 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 100% |
| Cairo | 13 | 8 | 4 | 60d | 85d | 86% |
| Dhaka | 11 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 33% |
| Istanbul | 9 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 25% |
| Manila | 7 | 3 | 4 | 15d | 17d | — |
| Toronto | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Paris | 6 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Kathmandu | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 67% |
| Seoul | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Bogota | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Ankara | 5 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 0% |
| Dubai | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Lima | 5 | 2 | 3 | 28d | 56d | — |
| Kolkata | 5 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — |
| Abu Dhabi | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Hong Kong | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — |
F-1 interview volume & pending backlog
Tracked F-1 interviews per month, and how many are still pending today.
Days-to-approval distribution
Resolved F-1 cases, every post.
What posts ask students for
Most frequent document requests on F-1 221(g)s, grouped by type. 66% of F-1 cases that reported it were asked to submit by email. Document types only — never anyone’s actual documents.
- Social media links / handles — 88 requests
- CV / resume — 31 requests
- Passport — 28 requests
- I-20 — 26 requests
- DS-5535 questionnaire — 25 requests
- Travel history / itinerary — 17 requests
- Bank statements / financial evidence — 13 requests
- List of publications — 12 requests
- Research plan / thesis abstract — 11 requests
- Advisor's CV — 10 requests
- Additional documents (unspecified) — 9 requests
- Invitation letter — 5 requests
Related
What officers asked at the window: F-1 interview questions — 256 reports.
F-1 pages by consulate
- F-1 221(g) at New Delhi — 131 cases, 60 resolved
- F-1 221(g) at Mumbai — 53 cases, 36 resolved
- F-1 221(g) at Hyderabad — 42 cases, 25 resolved
- F-1 221(g) at Chennai — 38 cases, 23 resolved
- F-1 221(g) at London — 26 cases, 12 resolved
Other visa types
- H-1B 221(g) tracker — 827 cases
- B-1/B-2 221(g) tracker — 473 cases
- H-4 221(g) tracker — 108 cases
Recent F-1 reports
Newest first, fully anonymized.
| Reported | Consulate | Status | Interview | Approved | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-03 | London | pending | 2026-09-11 | — | — |
| 2026-10-02 | New Delhi | pending | 2026-08-26 | — | — |
| 2026-09-28 | — | passport_returned | 2026-05-04 | 2026-05-04 | 0 |
| 2026-09-28 | Paris | pending | 2026-09-23 | — | — |
| 2026-09-28 | — | pending | 2026-04-20 | — | — |
| 2026-09-28 | Cairo | pending | 2026-07-06 | — | — |
| 2026-09-25 | Accra | pending | 2026-09-04 | — | — |
| 2026-09-25 | — | pending | 2026-05 | — | — |
| 2026-09-24 | New Delhi | issued | 2026-08-23 | 2026-09-15 | 23 |
| 2026-09-24 | New Delhi | pending | 2026-09 | — | — |
| 2026-09-22 | — | pending | 2026-09-22 | — | — |
| 2026-09-21 | New Delhi | refused 214(b) | 2026-09-16 | — | — |
F-1 221(g) — quick answers
How long does F-1 221(g) administrative processing take in 2026?
Across 344 resolved community-reported F-1 cases, the median is 7 days from interview to approval; 75% clear within 26 days and 90% within 56 days. 392 tracked F-1 cases are still pending and 264 have waited 60 or more days.
Which consulates are slowest for F-1 221(g)?
By median among posts with 5 or more F-1 cases: Cairo 60d (13 cases), Lima 28d (5 cases), Manila 15d (7 cases), Hyderabad 10d (42 cases). Fastest: Mumbai 1d, New Delhi 2d, Chennai 2d.
Can a F-1 221(g) end in a refusal?
Yes. 56 of 810 tracked F-1 cases ended in a 214(b) refusal rather than a clearance — that is 7% of reports, and it is the honest risk for a student visa. The remaining resolved cases were approved or issued.
Waiting on a F-1 221(g)?
See where your case sits against every tracked F-1 timeline, and grab the submission email template.