"As it is explained to me, all applications are sent to our background investigators in VT. They all get divided up amongst the workers there, and it gets done when it gets done. This is why two people who apply at the same time, at the same computer, with the same information, will have their applications approved at different times."

The way I would look at it is this: That most certainly does NOT explain why some people get approved long before others do even though they applied later. Makes no sense - if they are all done in the same office there shouldn't be "out of sequence" approvals. Unless they just have a bunch of goof offs in that office and very few people who are actually doing their job. <deleted by moderator>