Adjudicating Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) Applicants in Their Nation of Residence

Effective instantly, the Department of State has up to date its directions for all nonimmigrant visa candidates scheduling visa interview appointments:

• Applicants for U.S. nonimmigrant visas (NIV) ought to schedule their visa interview appointments on the U.S. Embassy or Consulate of their nation of nationality or residence.
• Nationals of nations the place the U.S. authorities isn’t conducting routine nonimmigrant visa operations should apply on the designated embassy or consulate, except their residence is elsewhere.  See the checklist beneath to find out the designated location for NIV functions.

Applicants ought to observe the next:

• Residence Requirement: Applicants should be capable of exhibit residence within the nation the place they’re making use of, if the place of software is predicated on their residency.
• Fees:  Applicants who schedule nonimmigrant interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate exterior of their nation of nationality or residence may discover that it will likely be harder to qualify for the visa. Fees paid for such functions is not going to be refunded and can’t be transferred.
• Appointment Availability: Wait occasions for nonimmigrant interview appointments fluctuate by location.  Applicants making use of exterior their nation of nationality or residence ought to anticipate to attend considerably longer for an appointment.
• Existing Appointments: Existing nonimmigrant visa appointments will typically not be cancelled.
• Exceptions:  This steering doesn’t apply to candidates for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO visas, candidates for diplomatic-type or official-type visas (no matter classification), or candidates for any visa for journey coated by the UN Headquarters Agreement.  Rare exceptions can also be made for humanitarian or medical emergencies or overseas coverage causes.

Applicants ought to test embassy and consulate websites for more detailed information about visa application requirements and procedures, and to learn more about the embassy or consulate’s operating status and services.

This supersedes previous guidance on visa application requirements, including designated visa processing locations.