2001–2010s
Post-9/11 visa security tightening and “administrative processing” as a bottleneck
After 9/11, the U.S. expanded screening systems and interagency checks for visitors and students. A key operational outcome was more cases shunted into extra review — often opaque, often slow — even when applicants were otherwise eligible.
Then
Longer waits and higher uncertainty for certain nationalities and fields.
Now
A durable infrastructure for continuous vetting and delayed adjudication.
Why this matters now
Today’s online presence review looks like a modern, scalable trigger for the same delay dynamics.