Originally Posted by carsnoceans (Post 32028359)

Just got an email from CBP that interview can be cleared upon arrival from international flight.... Mrs CnO (awaiting interview date) will be flying CUN-ORD sooner. Can she do her interview upon landing in ORD or pax are pre-cleared at point of departure?

Originally Posted by carsnoceans (Post 32028359)

Just got an email from CBP that interview can be cleared upon arrival from international flight.... Mrs CnO (awaiting interview date) will be flying CUN-ORD sooner. Can she do her interview upon landing in ORD or pax are pre-cleared at point of departure?

Originally Posted by WanderingGent (Post 31706748)

Applied 26 June 19
CA granted 05 Nov 19

Total time spent in limbo: 133 days

Originally Posted by Berto (Post 32030739)

Now the trick will be with no planned travel for a little bit, is to figure out where I will head to for the interview. Living in NW Florida means that I'll be driving or flying somewhere...

Originally Posted by Chrissy G (Post 32029861)

I applied on January 04, 2020 (unaware of the backlog). My application is still pending. My best friend decided to apply on February 1, 2020 and got his conditional approval on February 4. I’m upset that there is no rhyme or reason behind the processing times. This is both of our first times applying for GE. He had TSA pre check already. Still don’t know how come people have been waiting since last year. CBP needs to do better.

Originally Posted by Exn (Post 32027807)

I think when they give a wait time like 11 weeks, they really just mean "we're currently getting to applications made 11 weeks ago". This is disingenuous, because of course people who are just applying will see the 11 week figure and assume it applies to them, too.

As for why the wait time is increasing, it's just that they're getting through applications slower than they're coming in! Suppose we started with a clean slate, no backlog, and that they can process 1,000 applications per month, but they have 2,000 applicants per month.

You'd end month 1 with 1,000 approvals, and a backlog of 1,000. Maximum wait time would be listed as "1 month". Remember though, that only applies to people who have just been approved. People on the backlog can actually expect to wait a total of 2 months.

Then through month 2, you clear that backlog of 1,000—but there were still 2,000 new applicants, and they all go onto the backlog. Now the backlog is 2,000, and maximum wait time is listed as "2 months". But again, that's not the whole picture: people at the back of the backlog queue (and indeed, any new applicants) can actually expect a total wait time of up to 3 months.

The problem gets worse with each month that passes. That's what's happening now: half a year ago, approvals were coming through for people who'd waited up to 3 months or so. We're currently approving people who have been waiting for around 7 months. And I'd like to think that more resources will be allocated to make sure it doesn't actually get this bad, but the numbers suggest that anybody applying today might have to wait up to 14 months.

Originally Posted by hhllau (Post 32032105)

applied 6/15/2019
still pending review 2/4/2020

Originally Posted by Exn (Post 32027807)

I think when they give a wait time like 11 weeks, they really just mean "we're currently getting to applications made 11 weeks ago". This is disingenuous, because of course people who are just applying will see the 11 week figure and assume it applies to them, too.

As for why the wait time is increasing, it's just that they're getting through applications slower than they're coming in! Suppose we started with a clean slate, no backlog, and that they can process 1,000 applications per month, but they have 2,000 applicants per month.

You'd end month 1 with 1,000 approvals, and a backlog of 1,000. Maximum wait time would be listed as "1 month". Remember though, that only applies to people who have just been approved. People on the backlog can actually expect to wait a total of 2 months.

Then through month 2, you clear that backlog of 1,000—but there were still 2,000 new applicants, and they all go onto the backlog. Now the backlog is 2,000, and maximum wait time is listed as "2 months". But again, that's not the whole picture: people at the back of the backlog queue (and indeed, any new applicants) can actually expect a total wait time of up to 3 months.

The problem gets worse with each month that passes. That's what's happening now: half a year ago, approvals were coming through for people who'd waited up to 3 months or so. We're currently approving people who have been waiting for around 7 months. And I'd like to think that more resources will be allocated to make sure it doesn't actually get this bad, but the numbers suggest that anybody applying today might have to wait up to 14 months.

Originally Posted by steelesurfer (Post 31980030)

Has anyone applied for GE that currently has Precheck? I just applied today for GE but I'm hoping my Precheck clearance for the last 4 years speeds things along.

Originally Posted by johnpvalentine (Post 32016397)

Applied: 7/10/19
CA: 1/31/20 (205 days)
First available appt ATL: 8/18/20 (will keep looking)