Russia suspends U.S. visa processing

On August 23, 2017, the U.S. Department of State announced that U.S. missions in Russia have temporarily stopped issuing all U.S. nonimmigrant visas. 

• The reasons behind the visa suspension
• Consequences for applicants from Belarus
• Delays for old and new applicants
• Russian citizens outside of Russia

The reasons behind the visa suspension

This suspension is the USA’s reaction to the decision or rather the demand put on U.S. missions in Russia to drastically reduce their number of diplomatic representatives. By September, the U.S. Department of State will have cut 750 positions, thus reducing the number of staff members to 455.

Moreover, relating to the massive job cuts, the U.S. Department of State decided to suspend the processing of U.S. nonimmigrant visa applications in Russia for a period of 8 days beginning on August 23, 2017. During this time, interview appointments scheduled for U.S. work visas, business visas and tourist visas will not take place. On September 1^st, 2017, however, the processing of U.S. nonimmigrant visas should resume, but only in the consular department of the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Visa processing in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok has been suspended for an indefinite time.

Consequences for applicants from Belarus

Furthermore, the U.S. embassy in Moscow and the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg are not accepting new visa applications from citizens of Belarus. It is still possible for applicants from Belarus, however, to schedule interview appointments in the U.S. embassies in Warsaw, Kiev or Vilnius. 

Delays for old and new applicants

At the moment, the U.S. Department of State is contacting affected visa applicants per e-mail so that they have the opportunity to reschedule their visa appointments in Moscow. Affected applicants should be prepared for delays. Currently, priority has been given to processing visas for United Nation officials, international organizations with public offices in the United States and applicants who, for example, must urgently travel to the USA for medical or family emergencies.

New U.S. visa applicants should expect long waiting times for an interview appointment in Russia as well as further delays in the processing of their visas.

Russian citizens outside of Russia

The U.S. State Department’s decision does not, although, affect the processing of nonimmigrant visa applications for Russian citizens currently outside of Russia.

Nonetheless, it should be noted that there may be visa processing delays at U.S. embassies and consulates located close to the border of Russia.