In-person consular visit requirements will be temporarily waived for qualifying individuals by the U.S. Department of State. Individuals who have already been issued immigrant visas, approximately 49,000 people, will have their consular visit requirement withheld due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. The rule goes into effect on December 13, 2021, and will remain in place through December 2023. Consular offices have the discretion to waive the in-person and oath appearance requirements for specific repeat applicants.
To qualify, individuals must have been received a U.S. visa on or after August 4, 2019, and are seeking the same classification of visa. Individuals seeking a different classification due to naturalization or death are also eligible. Qualifying individuals must affirm their online immigrant visa application information under penalty of perjury. Typically, these individuals must complete an in-person interview with a consular officer. Waiving this requirement addresses ongoing issues with travel due to the pandemic.
Visa recipients may require travel to the U.S. within a six-month window. However, due to travel issues, this may not be possible. As such, with this ruling, they can easily re-apply without requiring an additional in-person interview. In addition, with the continued backlog of visa applicants, this effort frees up resources for those waiting for their first interview.
If you have questions about your visa application or any immigration-related issue, contact us at ILBSG. We monitor all ongoing requirements for immigration and keep our clients informed. Reach out anytime to get the right advice.
