We have just received information from the American Immigration Lawyers Association that the Consular Consolidated Database, the Department of State system for issuing visas, has encountered significant performance issues, including outages since Saturday, July 19. This computer system is the backbone of the consular processing procedures as it approves, records and prints the visas. Because DOS is unable to advise when they expect the system to be operational again, it is our recommendation that any foreign national who will need to obtain a visa at a U.S. consulate, if they have adequate time, should wait until the DOS has acknowledged the continued operation before traveling. Otherwise, the applicant may find themselves delayed out of the country while the consular post rectifies their computer problems to process the backlog of cases that may have accrued during the interim. As soon as we get more information from the DOS in this regard, we will advise. Please contact our office if the delays will cause you consternation.