For further information from the aforementioned website please click HERE.

Those seeking services such as notarization, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, or US passport renewals are well advised to seek such services from the US Consular section of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In many cases it will likely be necessary to make an online appointment prior to arrival at the Post in order to ensure processing of a specific request for services.

In order to obtain a US visa for a foreign fiancee the American fiance is generally required to submit a petition to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) prior to the case file being processed through the National Visa Center (NVC), assuming approval; and finally on to the US Embassy or US Consulate with appropriate jurisdiction. Those seeking an immigrant visa for a foreign spouse are also likely to be required to receive an approved USCIS petition prior to processing at the National Visa Center before eventual interview and processing at a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad.

In general, it has been this blogger’s experience that the non-immigrant visa categories for foreign loved ones, such as the K-1 visa or the K-3 visa are processed by the non-immigrant visa unit at the American post with appropriate Consular jurisdiction. Meanwhile, immigrant visa categories such as the CR-1 visa or the IR-1 visa are processed by an immigrant visa unit. That stated, some protocols may vary depending upon the unique circumstances of a particular Post.

For information related to legal services in Southeast Asia please see: Legal.

**The exact date of this festival will depend on the visibility of the moon.
***December 25, 2011 (the legal public holiday for Christmas Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, December 26, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.

Those wishing to visit the official homepage of the United States Embassy in Mauritius please click: HERE.

Those seeking services which can only be provided by a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad (such as issuance of a new US Passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or additional visa pages for a previously issued US Passport) are well advised to contact an American Citizen Services (ACS) Section of the nearest US Consulate with appropriate jurisdiction. In some cases, it may be possible to set an appointment with the post online. Setting an appointment with the post in advance may prove beneficial as foreknowledge of customer requests can greatly streamline the processing of such requests.

Those seeking non-immigrant visas such as the B-2 visa for tourists, the F-1 visa for students, the J-1 visa for exchange visitors, or the B-1 visa for business travelers are likely to see their visa application processed at a Non-immigrant visa (NIV) Unit abroad. Those seeking such travel documents should bear in mind that such applications are scrutinized pursuant to section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.

Those seeking immigrant visas for foreign family members such as the CR-1 visa or the IR-1 visa are likely to see their visa application processed pursuant to an approved immigration petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).  For application processing purposes, it should be noted that the K-1 visa, a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is treated in a similar manner to the aforementioned immigrant visas noted above.

Those seeking visas such as the L-1 visa for intra-company transferees or the EB-5 visa for immigrant investors are likely to only see a visa application processed after receiving approval on an immigration petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

The U.S. Mission will officially observe only the holidays listed below.

Date	Day	Holiday	Country
Jan 18	Mon	Birthday of M.L. King,Jr.	American
Feb 15	Mon	President’s Day	American
Feb 26	Fri	*Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi	Pakistani
Mar 23	Tue	Pakistan Day	Pakistani
May 31	Mon	Memorial Day	American
Jul 5	Mon	Independence Day	American
Aug 14	Sat	Independence Day	Pakistani
Sept 6	Mon	Labor Day	American
Sept 11 12&13	Sat Sun&Mon	*Eid-ul-Fitr	Pakistani
Oct 11	Mon	Columbus Day	American
Nov 9	Tue	**Iqbal Day	Pakistani
Nov 11	Thu	Veterans Day	American
Nov 16 17&18	Tue Wed&Thu	*Eid-ul-Azha	Pakistani
Nov 25	Thu	Thanksgiving	American
Dec 18 & 19	Sat&Sun	*9th & 10th Muharram	Pakistani
Dec 24	Fri	Christmas	American

*Note: Religious holidays are subject to the appearance of the moon and may vary from the above estimated dates.

Notwithstanding the fluid and somewhat turbulent situation in and around Pakistan, those seeking services from any US Embassy are well advised to check all available official resources regarding Consular Services in an effort to determine the operating hours of the Post and the services provided therein. Americans seeking services such as American notarization, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, US passport renewal, visa page addition, and other Consular Services are well advised to check with American Citizen Services prior to traveling to the Post as there may be a method for scheduling an appointment online which can greatly streamline the processing of many requests since the Consular Officers can be placed upon advance notice of a prospective customer’s needs and schedule accordingly.

Those seeking US Visa benefits from either an Immigrant Visa Unit or a Non-Immigrant Visa Unit abroad are well advised to check the Post’s website in order to determine scheduling protocols as visa interviews are generally scheduled in advance and may require the filing of a visa petition before a visa interview can be scheduled. Those seeking Immigrant visa benefits undergo a substantially different type of adjudication compared to those seeking a non-immigrant visa. For example, the person seeking an IR1 Visa or a CR1 Visa will not have to undergo the same sort of scrutiny under section 214b of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act as does an applicant for a US Tourist Visa (B2 visa) or an American Student Visa (F1 visa). It should be noted that although the US fiance visa is technically considered a non-immigrant visa category, for the purposes of Consular processing the K1 visa is usually treated as an Immigrant visa.

For related information please see: US visa processing time.

As this author has previously come to find, it can be frustrating to show up at a US Embassy or US Consulate to find it closed in observance of either a local or American holiday. Therefore, those with business before a United States Embassy or Consulate abroad are well advised to consult the official website of the Mission prior to traveling to the Post. Furthermore, those with business before an American Citizen Services Section of a United States Embassy or Consulate are well advised to check online to ascertain if the Post allows appointment to be set over the internet. Those seeking a new US passport, visa pages, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or notarial services are often required to appear before American Citizen Services abroad in order to have their request processed. In many cases, scheduling an appointment in advance provides the Consular Officers with the opportunity to prepare in advance to efficiently serve Citizens. By streamlining the process it can decrease the wait time for Americans traveling to the Post.

Those wishing to schedule a visa interview appointment for an Immigrant visa such as a CR1 Visa or an IR1 visa are advised to check directly with the Post regarding such appointments. The same can be said for those wishing to schedule a non-immigrant visa appointment for travel documents such as the US Tourist Visa or the US Student Visa (For purposes of Consular adjudication the K1 visa is usually considered an immigrant visa).

The U.S. Mission will officially observe only the holidays listed below.

Date	Day	Holiday	Type
January 1	Friday	New Year’s Day	American
January 14	Thursday	Pongal/Tamil New Year’s Day (not for Karnataka)	Indian
January 15	Friday	Thiruvalluvar Day	Indian
January 18	Monday	Martin Luther King’s Birthday	American
January 26	Tuesday	Republic Day	Indian
February 15	Monday	Washington’s Birthday	American
April 2	Friday	Good Friday	Indian
April 14	Wednesday	Dr. Ambedkar’s Birthday	Indian
May 31	Monday	Memorial Day	American
July 5*	Monday	Independence Day	American
September 1	Wednesday	Krishna Jayanthi	Indian
September 6	Monday	Labor Day	American
September 10	Friday	Idu’l Fitr (Ramzan)	Indian
October 11	Monday	Columbus Day	American
November 1	Monday	Karnataka Rajyotsava Day (for Karnataka only)	Indian
November 5	Friday	Deepavali	Indian
November 11	Thursday	Veteran’s Day	American
November 17	Wednesday	Idu’l Zuha (Bakrid)	Indian
November 25	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day	American
December 17	Friday	Muharram	Indian
December 24**	Friday	Christmas Day	American

* in lieu of July 4, Sunday
** in lieu of December 25, Saturday

Generally, Americans seeking assistance at a US Embassy or US Consulate overseas are in need of services such as Passport replacement, retrieval of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, addition of visa pages, or signature notarization. For services such as this American Citizens are generally wise to check with the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of an Embassy or Consulate overseas in order to ascertain if appointments can be scheduled online. The reason why this is so important is due to the fact that many ACS sections have a great deal of demand placed upon their time. Therefore, scheduling an appointment in advance and specifying the services sought can assist the Consular Officers in streamlining their services in such a way that the customers needs are met quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Those seeking a US visa abroad must check each Post’s policy regarding visa interview scheduling. Generally, non-immigrant visa interviews are conducted in a different manner compared to Immigrant visa interviews. It has been this author’s experience that for purposes of visa application adjudications abroad K1 visa applications are treated as Immigrant visa applications even though the visa itself is a non-immigrant quasi-dual intent travel document.