Due to the Russian government’s personnel cap imposed on the U.S. Mission, all nonimmigrant visa (“NIV”) operations across Russia will be suspended beginning August 23, 2017. Beginning September 1, visa processing will resume on a greatly reduced scale at the U.S. Embassy Moscow, while NIV interviews at the U.S. Consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladistok are suspended until further notice. Beginning August 21, the U.S. Mission will be canceling current nonimmigrant visa appointments countrywide.
NIV applicants whose interviews have been canceled should call the number below to rescheduled their interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for a later date, or, for those whose appointments were originally scheduled in one of the other consular districts, to reschedule an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
For rescheduling of nonimmigrant visa interviews and other questions: +7 (495) 745 3388 or 8 800 100 2554 (ITFN).
The U.S. Embassy is unable to refund visa processing fees, nor may the fee be transferred to a U.S. consulate outside of Russia. To apply at a consulate outside of Russia, applicants must begin a new application and pay the applicable fee.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg will also no longer accept new visa applications for residents of Belarus. Belarussian applicants who already paid the NIV fee will have their appointments rescheduled. Others who require visa processing should contact the U.S. Embassies in either Warsaw, Kyiv, or Vilnius.
The staffing reductions will also affect the scheduling of a limited number of immigrant visa applicants. Affected applicants will be contacted if their interview date or time is affected.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will continue to provide the full range of emergency and routine services to American citizens, although the hours of operation may change.
For more information, please contact Mechelle Zarou at (419) 321-1460 or mzarou@slk-law.com.