Esta application- authorisation pending?

[Snowcandle]

Hi.
Dd applied for esta today and got the message authorisation pending.
I remember applying a few years ago and we got them back straight away. Dd starting to panic as wants to make travel arrangements.
Is it because it’s a Saturday and she didn’t fill in accommodation details (she hadn’t got them yet).
I also can’t remember having to fill in employment details last time. Hope it’s ok and she’s done it right.

By chance helped do some ESTAs earlier in the week.

The process does seem to be a bit more long winded than when they first came in, and the process does seem to be taking slightly longer than it used to - the warning on the site now says anything up to 72 hours for approval..

FWIW the one’s I was involved in (for some who had previously held ESTAs) got approved later the same (week) day as the application went in ..Oh, the approval msg went to “junk” e-mail folders so worth checking there.

Try logging out and logging in again. Oddly worked for me quite quickly. Got the 72 hour message as well and panicked.

Did some this week. Got the pending message. Took just a few hours to come back as done. It has got more intense, ourshad one potentially odd thing on it, Group application with different countries passports involved, so guessed that computer only does an automatic on straightforward ones. As you don't have the address for where you are staying that could be enough to require a sense check by a human

Mine was immediate and my husband waited a day
He was panicking
I told him it was because the police caught him with weed when he was 20 and then let him go

He was convinced I was telling the truth but I was convinced it's just pot luck on how long it takes

Did it a couple months ago for my whole family. I waited a day and then logged back in to the system to check application progress and it said authorised. Don't recall getting an email.

It is taking far longer than normal and emails arent coming back either

Thanks. I will check the application progress later when we get home. Someone else told me you don’t get an email any more but not sure. I will just check the site.

Last time I applied for an ESTA it took a few hours to be authorised.

I logged out and back in again 10 minutes later and they were done. Try that?

Thank you. Went back in and it’s been authorised. Phew!
Full steam ahead with the arrangements now.

@cultkid how did your husband answer the question “have you ever violated any law regarding drugs?” If he had weed on him in the UK then it was a violation.

No they didn't record anything 🤷🏽‍♀️he was like 16

I was winding him up