The Applicant’s request for review is time-barred as far as the decision not to renew her appointment is concerned. As regards both the non-renewal of the Applicant’s contract and the alleged mishandling of her visa request (even assuming that such mishandling could be linked to an administrative decision subject to appeal), the Applicant, in the absence of a response from the Secretary-General within two months of her request for review, had one month to file an appeal with the JAB. The appeal is time-barred as well. Given that the time limits prescribed in staff rule 111.2 (a) were not complied with by the Applicant, the Tribunal examined whether there were any exceptional circumstances within the meaning of former staff rule 111.2 (f) which prevented her from submitting a request for review and filing an appeal in time. In this respect, the Tribunal applied the definition of exceptional circumstances adopted by the former UNAT and upheld by the UNDT in a number of judgments, i.e. circumstances beyond the control of the Applicant. In the present case, the Applicant did not set forth, and the Tribunal did not find, any exceptional circumstances.