2010 Mission Holiday Schedule Following is the Holiday Schedule for 2010 that will be observed by all U.S. Government agencies in Bangladesh.

HOLIDAYS		DATES MISSION CLOSED
New Year’s Day	American	December 31, 2009	Thursday
Martin Luther King’s Birthday	American	January 17	Sunday+
Washington’s Birthday	American	February 14	Sunday+
Martyr’s Day (Int’l Language Day)	Bangladeshi	February 21	Sunday
Bengali New Year’s Day	Bangladeshi	April 14	Wednesday
Buddha Purnima#	Bangladeshi	May 27	Thursday#
Memorial Day	American	May 30	Sunday+
Independence Day	American	July 4	Sunday
Shab-e-Barat*	Bangladeshi	July 28	Wednesday*
Labor Day	American	September 5	Sunday+
Shab-e-Quadr*	Bangladeshi	September 7	Tuesday*
Eid-ul-Fitr*	Bangladeshi	September 12	Sunday*
Columbus Day	American	October 10	Sunday+
Durga Puja#	Bangladeshi	October 17	Sunday#
Veterans Day	American	November 11	Thursday
Eid-ul-Azha*	Bangladeshi	November 17 & 18	Wednesday* & Thursday
Thanksgiving Day	American	November 25	Thursday
Victory Day	Bangladeshi	December 16	Thursday
Christmas Day	American	December 26	Sunday+

Please note that, although the Bangladesh Government observes more Bangladeshi holidays than those noted above, only these will be observed for purposes of closing the Embassy.

Notes:		(*) Date subject to appearance of the moon.
		(#) Date subject to change as the religious pundits select an auspicious date based the zodiac,  position of star, moon or other celestial bodies.

(+) American holidays that normally fall on Friday, Saturday or Monday will be observed on the following or preceding workday, due to Sunday-Thursday work week in Bangladesh.

For those with business at any US Embassy or US Consulate overseas it is prudent to note that local events on the ground can have a tremendous impact upon US Embassies and Consulates as staff are generally not required to come to the Post and the Post will cease operation under special circumstances. Therefore, those who must travel to a US Embassy to visit American Citizen Services or the Visa Unit are well advised to call-ahead in order to be certain that the Post is open.

In Consular Processing matters,  Consular closures can delay the visa process. That said, those who still have a case pending with USCIS need to be less concerned with the Embassy’s holiday closing schedule and more immediately concerned with the current USCIS processing times. As the US Family Visa process is bifurcated it is wise to note that three major agencies are involved in the adjudication of US visa cases: USCIS, the National Visa Center, and the US Embassy with appropriate jurisdiction over the Beneficiary. Therefore, those seeking answers as to why the process is delayed would be wise to note which agency is currently in possession of the petition or application.

With regard to processing of certain visa categories, recent Department of State fee increases could have an effect upon the overall immigration process. This is of special importance for those seeking a K1 visa or a K3 Visa.

For further related information please see: US Visa Thailand or US fiance visa.