Database Outages Lead to Visa Processing Delays

A U.S. Department of State database has been experiencing “significant performance issues, including outages" since last Saturday, resulting in delays for applicants for U.S. passports and visas, the Associated Press reported. A State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, said that the problem is global and is not specific to any one country or visa category. Harf said the department is working to correct the problem.