Integrity Legal

Those who may have seen this blog previously might have taken notice of the fact that the administration routinely posts the holiday closing schedules of US Missions in the Asia-Pacific regions in an effort to provide a courtesy to those with business at an American Mission abroad. The following is quoted directly from the official website of the US Consulate in Hong Kong (Special Autonomous Region of the Peoples’ Republic of China)   with American Consular jurisdiction over the Special Autonomous Region of Macau:

The following list includes all official holidays (both U.S. and Hong Kong) for 2011.

A – American Holiday/L – Local Holiday

Notes:  Three local holidays falling on Saturdays are not included in the 2011 holiday schedule (the third day of the Lunar New Year, February 5, the day following Good Friday, April 23 and National Day, October 1)

Those seeking services such as the issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US Passport, or addition of new visa pages to a previously issued US passport are well advised to contact the American Citizen Services Section of the nearest US Embassy, Consulate, American Institute, or Mission with Consular jurisdiction over the geographical area in which one is located.

Those seeking the homepage of the official website of the United States Consulate: Hong Kong & Macau please click HERE.

Those interested in retaining advice and counsel regarding United States Immigration matters are well advised to contact a licensed American Attorney in order to be apprised of the practical implications of the application of relevant United States immigration law.

Those seeking family based visas typically process their visa application through an Immigrant Visa Unit of a US Mission abroad, for purposes of visa application processing US fiance visa applications (the K-1 visa category) are treated in essentially the same manner as Immigrant visa categories like the CR-1 visa and the IR-1 visa categories.

Business and Investment visa applications for visa categories such as the L-1 visa and the EB-5 visa are typically processed after the adjudication of an initial immigration petition at the American Department of Homeland Security‘s United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

Those seeking non-immigrant visas to the USA under visa categories such as the B-2 (US Tourist Visa), B-1 (US Business Visa), F-1 (US Student Visa), J-1 (US Cultural Exchange Visitor) categories are generally required to process their visa application through a Non-immigrant Visa Unit of a US Mission in their jurisdiction.

For related information please see: US Visa China.

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Posted in CR1 Visa, Department of Homeland Security, EB5 Visa, K1 Visa, K2 Visa, K3 Visa, L1 Visa, US Consulate Hong Kong, US Consulate Macau, US Embassy China, US State Department, USCIS | No Comments »

Frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that the administration routinely posts the holiday closing schedules of various United States Missions in Asia in an effort to forestall possibly fruitless trips to a US Embassy or US Consulate overseas. Many American Missions close and do not provide routine services in observance of both United States Federal holidays as well as local holidays in the Host Country. The following information was quoted directly from the official website of the United States Consulate in Hong Kong (this Post also has Consular jurisdiction over Macau):

The following have been designated as official holidays for 2010. The Consulate General will be closed to the public on these days.

A – American Holiday/L – Local Holiday

Notes: Four local holidays falling on Saturdays are not included in the 2010 holiday schedule (the day preceding Lunar New Year’s Day, February 13, the day following Good Friday, April 3, Labour Day, May 1, and Chung Yeung Festival, October 16).

Both Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China and have considerable autonomy under Chinese law. That said, those Americans interested in receiving services such as issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), new US passport, new visa pages, or notary services, etc. are well advised to contact the American Citizen Services (ACS) Section of the nearest US Mission in an effort to schedule an appointment at ACS. Scheduling an appointment is an efficient way of streamlining services at an American Mission abroad as Consular Officers can prepare in advance to service a prospective customer’s needs.

Those interested in matters pertaining to United States Immigration are well advised to research the issue before contacting an American Mission abroad to set up an appointment for visa interview. Many non-immigrant visa categories (ex. F1 visa, B1 visa, B2 visa)  may not require the initial filing of a visa petition in the USA. However, non-immigrant visas such as the K1 visa and the K3 Visa do require the initial approval of a petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Also, immigrant visa categories such as the IR1 Visa and the CR1 Visa require the initial filing of a petition with USCIS. Although, some American Consulates and Embassies abroad may allow Direct Consular Filing (DCF) under certain limited circumstances.

For related information please see: US Visa China or EB-5 Visa China.

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