Integrity Legal

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that the United States Embassy in Kabul is taking measures to re-institute a policy which would allow for visa interviews to take place on the premises of the Post in Afghanistan. Readers are reminded that such interviews have not been conducted at that location in approximately 20 years. To quote directly from a Department of State announcement as posted upon the official website of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA):

As of June 1, for the first time in 20 years, immigrant visa applicants will again have scheduled As of June 1, for the first time in 20 years, immigrant visa applicants will again have scheduled interviews in Kabul. U.S. Embassy Islamabad was previously the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate where immigrant visa applicants could be interviewed.

Applicants for petition-based visas, which are mostly temporary work visas, can also now interview in Kabul. For the last two years, applicants for visitor, student and most other temporary visas could apply in Kabul, but not applicants for visas that if approved allow someone to move to the U.S. or to work there. Applicants for non-immigrant petition-based visas like temporary workers (H) can schedule their own appointments using the existing online system on the Embassy’s web site. All of these categories of visas involve a multi-step process that usually starts with a petition that a U.S. relative or employer files with immigration authorities. It is important to note that prior to the interview, the National Visa Center conducts almost all pre-interview processing of petitions that the immigration service approves in the United States. The National Visa Center will also schedule appointments when approved immigrant visa petitions become current.

All of these categories of visas involve a multi-step process that usually starts with a petition that a U.S. relative or employer files with immigration authorities. It is important to note that prior to the interview, the National Visa Center conducts almost all pre-interview processing of petitions that the immigration service approves in the United States. The National Visa Center will also schedule appointments when approved immigrant visa petitions become current…

It should be noted that those seeking immigrant visas to the United States of America must generally first receive an approved immigration petition from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Upon receiving such approval a case file will usually be sent to the National Visa Center which acts as a sort of clearinghouse for visa application files so as to insure that the case file arrives at the US Mission with appropriate jurisdiction. Prospective visa seekers should note that estimated processing times for USCIS adjudication do not take into account Consular Processing at an appropriate US Embassy or US Consulate abroad.

For related information please see: American visa.

Tags: AILA, American Consulate, American Embassy, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Visa, Consular Processing, Department of State, National Visa Center, student visa, temporary workers, United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, US Consulate, US Embassy, US Embassy Afghanistan, US Embassy Islamabad, US Embassy Kabul, US Visa, USCIS, visitor visa
Posted in US Embassy Kabul | No Comments »

Frequent readers may have noticed that the administration of this blog posts the holiday closing schedules of various US Posts in Asia as a courtesy to American travelers abroad. To quote directly from the official website of the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan:

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

Those interested in viewing the official homepage of the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan please click HERE.

Those seeking services which can only be provided by an American Citizen Services Section of a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad (such as issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US Passport, and additional visa pages for a previously issued US Passport) are well advised to attempt to set an appointment for services in advance as doing so can greatly streamline the processing of bona fide requests.

Those seeking travel documents such as the US tourist visa (B-2 visa), US business visa (B-1 visa), US student visa (F-1 visa), and the US exchange visitor visa (J-1 visa) are likely to see their visa application processed at a Non-Immigrant (NIV) Unit abroad. It should be noted that the non-immigrant visa applications noted above are generally analyzed by interviewing Consular Officers pursuant to section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.

Those seeking immigrant visas such as the IR-1 visa or the CR-1 visa for foreign spouses and loved ones of US Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents are likely to see their visa application processed at an Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit abroad. It should be noted that the US fiance visa, categorized as the K-1 visa, is processed in much the same manner as the immigrant visas notwithstanding the fact that the K-1 is a non-immigrant visa category.

Those seeking an EB-5 visa as a prospective immigrant investor or an L-1 visa as a prospective intra-company transferee are likely to only see their visa application processed pursuant to an approved immigration petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

Tags: American Embassy Islamabad, American Embassy Pakistan, B-1 Visa Pakistan, B-2 Visa Pakistan, consular report of birth abroad, CR-1 Visa Pakistan, EB-5 Visa Pakistan, F-1 Visa Pakistan, IR-1 Visa Pakistan, J-1 Visa Pakistan, K-1 Visa Pakistan, L-1 Visa Pakistan, US Embassy Islamabad, US Embassy Pakistan, US Embassy Pakistan holidays, US Fiance Visa Pakistan, us passport, US Visa Pakistan
Posted in US Embassy Islamabad, US Embassy Pakistan | No Comments »