While many U.S. consulates around the world are back up to running at full capacity, others are still operating on a limited basis. It is important for those seeking visas abroad to know the status of the U.S. consulate or embassy in their country so they can better plan visa appointments, or confirm the possibility of needing to relocate for their visa services.
Consular services in Asia are particularly important because of the flows of immigrants coming to the United States from many different countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Below we will focus on some recent State Department updates with regards to consular processing within an Asian context:
Thailand
Right now the U.S. consulate in Chiang Mai and the U.S. embassy in Bangkok are taking visa appointments on a limited basis and subject to local conditions regarding the spread of Covid-19. Applicants can request an expedited interview, but all cases are evaluated by an immigration officer. If you are seeking an immigrant visa, you need to only contact and apply through the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok which processes many types of immigrant visas. The U.S. consulate in Chiang Mai only processes non-immigrant visas.
India
Consular sections in India are currently backlogged, and dealing with high demand for appointments across all visa categories available in both immigrant and non-immigrant cases. However in the case of Indian consular sections, such as in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata, the State Department is operating on the guidance of waiving visa interviews for M, M, J and H1-B visa applicants if their case and documents do not present any problems. In other words, adjudicating case officers may request an in-person interview only when they need additional information.
Indonesia
If you are seeking an immigrant visa in Indonesia, you should refer to the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, whereas if you are seeking a non-immigrant visa you should refer to either the embassy in Jakarta, or the consular section in Surabaya. Appointments for non-immigrant visas are being offered on a limited basis.
Vietnam
There is currently a backlog of immigrant visa applications at the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. The State Department has noted that the consulate will be gradually resuming appointments, but such appointments will be subject to safety guidelines and staffing. The consulate in Ho Chi Minh city also put out a memo stating that after April 12th, 2022, immigrant visa applicants who have not brought all of their required documents to an interview will unfortunately be turned away. This includes uploading all documents to CEAC—Consular Electronic Application Center.
The State Department has also provided a link specifically for fiancé visa applicants who case specific questions: https://vn.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/.
China
There are many consular sections in the People’s Republic of China. However, immigrant visas are only processed at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. Therefore, if you are seeking an immigrant visa you should only refer to that consular section. The State Department posted an internal memo in November, 2021, stating that other consular sections (Shanghai, Shenyang) and back to normal processing and have resumed normal visa services.
In general, if you have questions as they relate to non-immigrant visa interview wait times, the State Department has a helpful link where you can enter the consulate and see respective wait times. The link is provided here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html.
