Phased Resumption of Routine VisaServices

Last Updated: December 30, 2020

The Department of State suspended routine visaservices worldwide in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In July 2020, U.S. Embassies andConsulates began a phased resumption of routinevisa services.

The resumption of routine visa services, prioritizedafter services to U.S. citizens, will occur on a post-by-post basis, consistent with the Department’sguidance for safely returning our workforce toDepartment facilities.  U.S. Embassies andConsulates have continued to provide emergency andmission-critical visa services since March and willcontinue to do so as they are able.  As post-specificconditions improve, our missions will begin providingadditional services, culminating eventually in acomplete resumption of routine visa services.

We are unable to provide a specific date for wheneach mission will resume specific visa services, orwhen each mission will return to processing at pre-pandemic workload levels.  See each U.S. Embassyor Consulate’s website for information regardingoperating status and which services it is currentlyoffering.

Our missions overseas continue to provide allpossible services to U.S. citizens. More informationis available on each post’s website.

This does not affect travel under the Visa WaiverProgram. See https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/faq?focusedTopic=Schengen%20Travel%20Proclamation for more information.

Applicants with an urgent matter who need to travelimmediately should contact the nearest embassy orconsulate to request an emergency appointment. Contact information is on the embassy or consulate’s

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website.

FAQ

Q.  Which additional visa services areembassies/consulates beginning to provide?

All of our missions are continuing to provideemergency and mission-critical visa services.  Aspost-specific conditions permit, and after meetingdemand for services to U.S. citizens, our missionswill phase in processing some routine immigrant andnonimmigrant visa cases.  Posts that processimmigrant visa applications will prioritize ImmediateRelative family members of U.S. citizens includingintercountry adoptions (consistent with PresidentialProclamation 10014) fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens, andcertain Special Immigrant Visa applications.  Postsprocessing non-immigrant visa applications willcontinue to prioritize travelers with urgent travelneeds, foreign diplomats, and certain mission criticalcategories of travelers such as those coming toassist with the U.S. response to the pandemic,followed by students (F-1, M-1, and certain J-1) andtemporary employment visas (consistent withPresidential Proclamation 10052).  We expect thevolume and type of visa cases each post will processto depend on local circumstances.  An embassy orconsulate will resume adjudicating all routinenonimmigrant and immigrant visa cases only whenadequate resources are available, and it is safe to doso.

 

Q.  What criteria are missions using to determine when toresume routine services?

We are closely monitoring local conditions in eachcountry where we have a U.S. presence. Localconditions that may affect when we can beginproviding various public services include medicalinfrastructure, COVID-19 cases, emergency responsecapabilities, and restrictions on leaving home.

 

Q.  What steps are being taken to protect customers fromthe spread of COVID-19?

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The health and safety of our workforce andcustomers will remain paramount.  Our embassiesand consulates are implementing safeguards to keepstaff and customers safe, including implementingphysical distancing in our waiting rooms, schedulingfewer interviews at a time, frequent disinfection ofhigh touch areas, and following local health andsafety regulations.

 

Q.  Do the various Presidential Proclamations/travelrestrictions still apply, or are those lifting with theresumption of visa services?

The five geographical COVID-19 Proclamations (P.P.9984, 9992, 9993, 9996, 10041) and the two COVID-19 Labor Market Proclamations suspending the entryof certain aliens (P.P. 10014 and 10052) remain ineffect.

 

Q: Is my situation an emergency? I need to go the UnitedStates immediately for X.

Applicants can find instructions on how to request anemergency visa appointment at the Embassy orConsulate’s website.

 

Q.  What about my application fee that expired while routineservices were suspended? 

The Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee is valid withinone year of the date of payment and may be used toschedule a visa appointment in the country where itwas purchased.  However, the Departmentunderstands that as a result of the pandemic, manyvisa applicants have paid the visa applicationprocessing fee and are still waiting to schedule avisa appointment.  We are working diligently torestore all routine visa operations as quickly andsafely as possible.  In the meantime, the Departmentextended the validity of MRV fees until September30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable toschedule a visa appointment due to  the suspensionof routine consular operations an opportunity to

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of routine consular operations an opportunity toschedule and/or attend a visa appointment with thefee they already paid.

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