US visa issuance system still experiencing technical problems

WASHINGTON (Xinhua) - The US State Department's global database for issuing visas is still experiencing technical problems with the visa issuance system, according to a bulletin posted Saturday on its website.

"As of July 26, we are operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until we clear the document backlog. This issue is worldwide and is not specific to any particular country or visa category," the bulletin said.

"We are working urgently to correct the problem and expect the system to be fully operational again soon. We will continue to post updates to travel.state.gov as more information becomes available," it said.

US State Department's passport and visa issuance system has failed to run after a computer glitch, resulting in delays in visa and passport processing since July 24.

So far, it's still unknown when the system will return to normal operations and how many document requests were affected by the glitch. The Bureau of Consular Affairs processes millions of visa requests each year.

But the bureau continues to issue emergency passports at present.

Although the bureau has not identified the root cause of the malfunction, but it does not believe "malicious action," such as terrorism or sabotage, were responsible.

In 2013, the Bureau of Consular Affairs issued 9.1 million nonimmigrant visas and nearly 500,000 immigrant visas.

The database is used to approve, record and print visas and other documents to ensure that national security checks are conducted on applicants.