Q: What does the status “under consideration” mean?

Answer: "Under consideration" means that your paper has been received by the journal and is assigned to a handling editor/associate editor who will

1. Screen the paper for basic match to aims and scope, adherence to journal requirements, plagiarism, etc.
2. Find and assign suitable reviewers for peer review of the paper

Depending on how many submissions your target journal receives, your manuscript could remain at this status for a few days to several weeks. If it persists beyond 2-3 months, it could mean that the journal has trouble finding appropriate peer reviewers for your paper. You can send a polite inquiry to the journal, suggesting potential reviewers, if your manuscript remains at this status for more than 8 weeks.