The short answer
A US visa status check is done on the State Department's CEAC status page: choose nonimmigrant visa, select Dhaka, and enter your DS-160 application ID, passport number and the first five letters of your surname. The result is No Status, Application Received, Ready, Administrative Processing, Refused or Issued, and each one needs a different next step.
In Bangla
যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের ভিসার অবস্থা দেখতে স্টেট ডিপার্টমেন্টের CEAC স্ট্যাটাস পেজে নন-ইমিগ্র্যান্ট ভিসা ও ঢাকা বেছে নিয়ে DS-160 অ্যাপ্লিকেশন আইডি, পাসপোর্ট নম্বর এবং পদবির প্রথম পাঁচটি অক্ষর লিখুন। ফলাফলে No Status, Application Received, Ready, Administrative Processing, Refused বা Issued দেখা যায়, আর প্রতিটির পরের করণীয় আলাদা।
Key takeaways
- The only official US visa status page is the State Department's CEAC status check at ceac.state.gov.
- You need the DS-160 application ID, your passport number and the first five letters of your surname, with Dhaka as the location.
- Refused on CEAC can mean a final 214(b) refusal or a temporary 221(g) hold, including the hold while a Bangladeshi applicant posts a visa bond.
- Issued means the visa has been printed; your passport then comes back through the embassy's delivery service.
- CEAC is free, so any site charging for a US visa check or asking for a passport scan is not official.
A US visa status check takes a minute on the State Department's own tracker, CEAC, and the result is a single word. The hard part is knowing what that word means, because CEAC uses Refused for cases that are still alive and Ready for cases that are nowhere near a visa. This guide gives the official link, the exact details to enter for an application made in Dhaka, and what every status means for you.
How do you check your US visa status?
Open the CEAC visa status check on ceac.state.gov, the Consular Electronic Application Center that also hosts the DS-160 form. Choose a nonimmigrant visa, select Bangladesh, Dhaka as the location and enter your details. The page shows your current status, the date the case was created and the date it was last updated.
CEAC covers the visa decision itself. For your appointment and the return of your passport, the US Embassy in Dhaka uses its appointment and delivery service at ustraveldocs.com/bd, as the embassy's nonimmigrant visa page explains.
What do you need to enter on CEAC?
- 1
Select the visa type
Choose NONIMMIGRANT VISA (NIV) for a B1/B2 visitor, student or work visa.
- 2
Select the location
Choose Bangladesh, Dhaka, the embassy where you were interviewed. The wrong location returns no result.
- 3
Enter the application ID
Type the DS-160 confirmation number, which starts with AA and appears on the confirmation page with its barcode.
- 4
Enter your passport number and surname letters
Use the passport you applied with and the first five letters of your surname as written in it.
- 5
Complete the code and submit
Type the security code shown on the page and submit. Note the status and the last updated date.
If the result looks wrong, check that the DS-160 number is the one linked to your appointment. The embassy warns that the barcode on your DS-160 must match the one in your appointment profile, and that changes in the last seven days before an interview cancel it.
What does each CEAC status mean?
| Status | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Status | CEAC has no record for those details at that location yet | Check the ID, passport number and location; check again after your interview |
| Application Received | The application is in the system and the case is open | Attend your interview; keep checking afterwards |
| Ready | The case is ready for its next step at the embassy, often the interview | Follow the embassy's instructions; it is not an approval |
| Administrative Processing | The officer needs more checks or papers before deciding | Follow the letter from your interview; wait for an update |
| Refused | The officer refused under a section of the law, which can be final or temporary | Read your letter: 214(b) is final for this application, 221(g) is not |
| Issued | The visa has been approved and printed in your passport | Track the passport's return through the delivery service |
| Transfer in Progress | The case is moving to another embassy or consulate | Wait, and contact the new post if instructed |
Statuses can move back and forth. A case under administrative processing often shows Refused, then Administrative Processing, then Issued once the visa is printed. The last updated date tells you whether anything happened since you last looked.
Why does CEAC say Refused after a good interview?
Because a temporary hold is legally a refusal. Under section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, an officer who needs more information refuses the visa until that information arrives. US embassies explain that a case under administrative processing counts as a 221(g) refusal and that the website status changes from Refused to Issued only after the passport is received and the visa printed.
Bangladeshi B1/B2 applicants meet a second version of this. The US Embassy in Dhaka says nationals of Bangladesh who are otherwise eligible must post a bond of up to $20,000 before a visa can be issued, and the final rule in the Federal Register says the officer sets it at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 and denies the visa under 221(g) until the bond is posted. In that case Refused is expected and the instructions you receive are what matter. Our guide to the US visitor visa and visa bond covers how the bond works.
A 214(b) refusal is different. It means the officer was not satisfied you qualify as a temporary visitor, usually on your ties to Bangladesh, and that application is finished. You can apply again with a new DS-160, a new fee and a changed situation. Bangladeshi B visa applicants faced a 61.45% refusal rate in FY2025, according to the State Department's refusal rate table.
How long does administrative processing take?
There is no fixed time. US embassies say the length depends on the individual case and cannot usually be expedited, except in some emergencies. Send exactly what the 221(g) letter asks for, in the way it says, then watch CEAC and your email rather than sending repeated enquiries. If you need to travel urgently, the embassy's contact pages explain how to ask.
Agencies that use Visolv keep each client's file in one place from the first paper to the decision, with every finding tied to the page it came from, so a 221(g) request for a missing paper can be answered from the file the same day. Clients see their appointment, messages and the decision in a portal under the agency's own brand. None of that changes the embassy's own processing time.
Which US visa check sites should you avoid?
Any site that is not ceac.state.gov. CEAC is free, needs no account and asks for nothing beyond the application ID, passport number and surname letters. Pages that charge for a "US visa check", promise to "track" a refusal, or ask you to upload a passport scan are not official and may misuse your details.
- The DS-160 form and the status check are both on ceac.state.gov and cost nothing.
- The visa fee is paid only through the payment options on the embassy's appointment service.
- A visa bond is paid only through the link a consular officer sends you, after the officer tells you to pay. The embassy warns against any third-party bond website.
- Nobody can buy you an interview slot or change a CEAC status. Offers to do either are scams.
What happens after CEAC shows Issued?
Your visa has been printed in your passport, and the passport comes back through the embassy's delivery service, which you can track on ustraveldocs.com. When you collect it, check your name, date of birth, passport number, the visa type, the number of entries, the expiry date and any annotation, such as the note that a bond has been posted. Report any error to the embassy before you travel.
If you posted a bond, its conditions apply from your first trip: the final rule requires you to enter and leave the United States by commercial air through a US airport or a preclearance location, not by land or sea. For other trackers, our guides to the Australia visa check and VEVO and the Canada visit visa from Bangladesh explain how those systems work.
Check CEAC with the right details, read Refused in the light of your letter and never pay anyone to look for you. If you want a caseworker preparing the papers behind your interview, go through a visa agency that uses Visolv, and see how its checks work first.
If CEAC shows a 214(b) refusal rather than a 221(g) hold, read our guide on what to say after a 214(b) refusal before you apply again. A new application helps only when something real has changed, and the next officer may ask about the earlier refusal.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check my US visa status from Bangladesh?
Go to the State Department's CEAC status page at ceac.state.gov, choose nonimmigrant visa, select Bangladesh, Dhaka as the location, and enter your DS-160 application ID, passport number and the first five letters of your surname. The page shows the status and the date it was last updated. Passport return is tracked separately through the embassy's delivery service on ustraveldocs.com.
What does Administrative Processing mean on CEAC?
It means the consular officer needs more checks or documents before deciding, usually after telling you at the interview and giving you a 221(g) letter. The length varies by case and usually cannot be expedited. Send exactly what the letter asks for, then watch CEAC and your email. The status may switch between Refused and Administrative Processing before it becomes Issued.
Why does CEAC show Refused when I was asked for more documents?
A case on hold for more information is legally refused under section 221(g) until the information arrives, so CEAC shows Refused. For Bangladeshi B1/B2 applicants, the same happens while the officer waits for a visa bond to be posted. The status changes to Issued once the requirement is met and the visa is printed. A 214(b) refusal, by contrast, is final.
What does Issued mean on CEAC?
Issued means the consular officer approved the visa and it has been printed in your passport. Your passport is then returned through the embassy's delivery service, which you can track on ustraveldocs.com. When it arrives, check the name, dates, visa type, entries and any annotation, and report any error to the embassy before you travel to the United States.
Can I check my US visa status with my passport number only?
No. CEAC needs the visa type, the embassy location, your DS-160 application ID or case number, your passport number and the first five letters of your surname. Without the application ID it returns nothing. Sites that offer a US visa check from a passport number alone, or ask for a passport scan, are not run by the State Department.
What is the difference between a 214(b) and a 221(g) refusal?
A 214(b) refusal means the officer was not satisfied you qualify for the visa, usually because your ties to home did not overcome the presumption that you intend to immigrate; that application ends. A 221(g) refusal means the application is incomplete or needs administrative processing or a bond, and it can still be approved once the missing step is done.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
