Originally Posted by
MLADM89
I believe that something as simple as the staff member who got your application being on vacation for the week can impact your timeline. I know this happens with passport applications too. I was told if you get an officer who is out of the office for two weeks you’ll be waiting awhile
All one has to do is go back and read the last few months' posts to understand that this is an ongoing problem at CBP GE processing. It is not unique to me or countless others posting on here and no telling how many applicants that don't even know about FlyerTalk. I can understand your point about vacations and even the government shutdown causing delays, but this was going on long before that. I've been waiting 2 1/2 months and am leaving tomorrow on an international trip that I could not fathom not having my GE beforehand given when I applied. Again, my wife and I applied within 2 days of each other, she was approved in a few days' time and I am still waiting. I have gone through numerous FBI background checks required for my job every 2 years and numerous Federal Firearms background checks - none of which took more than a couple of weeks to complete.
All the excuses and <deleted by moderator> explanations aside, there is truly something wrong with this system.