Computer Glitch Causing Passport, Visa Backlog For Colorado Families
DENVER (CBS4)- A computer glitch at the U.S. State Department is causing a backlog for people trying to get passports and visas.
It's also creating a huge nightmare for some Colorado families in China trying to get their newly adopted children back home.
It took more than a year for Amy and Danny Vogt, a Highlands Ranch couple, to be approved to adopt a boy from China. Now they don't know how long it will take to get him back to Colorado.
"He fits in perfectly with our family," said Danny.
Jeremiah, 19-months old, is just the child his adoptive parents dreamed of.
"On July 9 we left our three kids in Colorado and flew to China to pick up our son. He officially became ours on July 15," said Amy.
They fell in love with him. All seemed well until a problem with the passport visa system.
"We got notice 24 hours later that the systems in the United States that actually issued visas are down," said Amy.
Now their plans are on hold because they can't get their son's visa to bring him home. They've cancelled their return flight, unsure of what will happen next.
"The consulate closed here at about 4:30 today so that was kind of the door being shut on our weekend. We don't anticipate hearing anything now until Monday," said Amy.
They said there are dozens of other families in the same situation in China, including a family from La Salle, Colorado.
"Just about once a day we get an official email from the consulate and each time it has said, 'We don't have an update for you, we don't have a timeline for you,'" said Amy.
They aren't about to leave their son behind.
"He's a gift and we're so blessed to have him," said
But they worry about how long they must live in limbo.
The State Department told CBS4 that the computer glitch happened in the aftermath of routine maintenance. They do not believe the system was hacked. They hope to have more information by Monday.
