H1B Visa Lawyer Blog
The United States Mission to the United Arab Emirates is transitioning to a new appointment service for anyone applying for a non-immigrant visa to the United States. Starting January 6, 2013, applicants will work, online or by phone, with a service provider to schedule an interview, pay the visa application fee, and arrange for the delivery of documents and passports. This new appointment service will also allow applicants to schedule a visa interview with more flexibility and up to six months in advance of travel plans.
Under the new process, applicants can go online and in a few minutes complete the visa application, pay the visa-application fee, schedule an appointment, and arrange to have their passport delivered at the end of the application process to an Empost office anywhere in the UAE. The entire process can be done 24 hours a day from the comfort of home using the online system. During daytime hours, applicants can also get assistance from a live operator call center with services in Arabic, English, and Farsi. The call center can also assist with scheduling an appointment, provided the applicant has already paid the visa application fee. After that, all the applicant must do is attend the scheduled interview at the Embassy or Consulate General.
As part of the transition from the current visa-application process, those seeking interviews in December will see that no appointments are available online after December 31. There will be a brief interim before the transition takes place during which it will not be possible to schedule a visa interview. The new appointment system will debut on January 6, 2013, after which appointments will be available at both the Embassy and Consulate General well into the first six months of 2013.