Barbadians seeking routine non-immigrant visa services from the United States embassy will have to reschedule their appointments from next Tuesday.
The embassy said in a media release on Wednesday the decision was “due to COVID-19 local conditions”.
“While the embassy continues to provide emergency and mission-critical, non-immigrant visa services, these appointments are extremely limited,” the media release stated.
“Routine visa services will resume as soon as possible, but the embassy is unable to provide a specific date at this time.”
The embassy said if it is unable to honour an appointment after next Tuesday, applicants will receive an email providing instructions on how to reschedule their appointment for a later date.
Any machine-readable visa (MRV) fees paid will remain valid until September 30, 2022, and they are non-transferable, the media released stated, adding that the embassy could not accept MRV fees from outside its consular district.
The embassy said it continues to process interview waiver (IW) and renewal interview waiver (RIW) cases.
“The eligibility of this program was recently expanded, and applicants may now qualify to renew their visa by mail,” the media release stated.
“To find the qualification to renew a visa by mail, please scroll to the additional RIW information below which details all eligibility criteria.”
For emergency requests, applicants should follow the guidance provided at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-bb/niv, or call 246-623-9832 or 246-623-9833 to request an emergency appointment for B1/B2, C1/D, F, J, and M visa categories only.
The media release stated that to protect the health and safety of personnel and the public, applicants must also adhere to all local health protocols, including any mandatory quarantine requirements.
(PR/AR)
