Breaking News

Waiting times at the US consulates Over the past weeks we have received more and more reports by unsettled customers about long waiting times for non-immigration visas, especially student visas. Apparently, you currently have to wait for your visa a few weeks after your successful interview (usually five to six work days up to now).

The same applies to J-1 Visa applications that usually do not require an interview. Visa applicants who do not have an exchange organization may have to be prepared to be asked to a visa interview anyway.

The reason is the summer travel season and longer processing times due to security checks in the US (SEVIS system, we informed about that) for form I-20 (F-Visa) or DS-2019 (J-1 Visa). As long as the consul doesn't have confirmation of the successful certification, he is not permitted to issue you a visa.

Our advice: be prepared to fly later than originally planned when booking your flight, you may even have to be prepared to start you internship or study program later.

Attention journalists! As has been announced, the US State Department has issued an internal directive reminding all US consulates abroad that journalists need a media visa (I status). Up to now, especially freelance journalists have continuously used the 90-day regulation or the B-Visa to enter the US.

The background are experiences with US immigration that has repeatedly denied entry to journalists not holding an I-Visa over the past months (the worldwide best-known case is that of several French newspaper journalists). According to the definition of US immigration law, B-Visas are not suitable for journalist work and the same applies to the Visa Waiver Program that is seen as a B-Visa substitute.

Our visa department will be glad to advise you on what visa is the right one for you and how you may obtain it. Best use the contact form on our website.

Forgot to turn in your departure record? It happens quite frequently that people forget to turn in the lower part of their arrival-departure record attached to the passport during the chaos of departure. If the departure record of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration (BCIS), i.e. the form I-94 (white) or I-94W (green) has not been removed from your passport, this means that your departure has not been correctly recorded. This might lead to the conclusion at BCIS that you have overstayed your granted period in the US. In that case your visa may be invalidated the next time you try to enter the US or you may be deported back to your home country in a worst case scenario.

So please remember to turn in your departure record at the airline desk or, if you forget, hand it to the flight attendant on board the plane who will turn it in at the airline.

Our visa department will gladly advise you on what to do in case little mistakes of this kind should ever happen to you. Best use the contact form on our website.