U.S. Department of State Announces Phased Resumption of Visa Services

On July 14, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) posted the start of a phased resumption of visa services worldwide. Embassies and consulates will be responsible for resuming services based on the conditions in their respective countries, according to the DOS re-opening plan. Students requiring visas should continue to check their respective consular website for updates.

Student visas are generally given priority. Normally, requests for expediting visa appointments for emergency situations have been available to student and exchange visitors, depending on resources and personnel. However, each country's consular service has different requirements. Some require a start date to be within 60 days before a student can request an expedited application. Others require it within 30 days, or 14 days.  If you are not able to get a visa appointment in time to enter the U.S. and start school, or your current visa appointment is not moved to an earlier date automatically if visa services resume, you may try to submit an expedited appointment request if you are within the required time-frame.

Please be aware that although visa services may gradually resume, the entry bans for certain countries are still in place at this time. Also changing SEVP guidance regarding new F-1 student enrollment in online courses for fall may also prevent you from entering as an F-1 student. ISS will try to students up-to-date on the latest guidances.

Posted in F-1, Immigration, J-1, News, Visa and tagged .