U.S. Embassy provides additional immigrant visa guidance for Russian nationals

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has provided additional guidance for immigrant visa applicants following the U.S.’s addition of Russians to the Homeless Nationalities list.

Key Points:

• Individuals who have yet to receive an appointment notice for an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will receive a notice from the National Visa Center (NVC) for their interview at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, when they become eligible.
  • The interview notice will state the date, time and other requirements for the visa interview; individuals can request a status update through the Ask NVC online form. More information regarding visa processing for Russian nationals in Warsaw can be found here.
• For individuals who have received an appointment notice, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw is currently accepting transfers of all Russian immigrant visa categories on a case-by-case basis.
  • Individuals can email transfer requests here and include their last name, and first name followed by their case number in the subject line.

• Individuals who were selected for the Diversity Visa and assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will be automatically reassigned to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw. These individuals do not need to take further action at this time.

• Additional information is available here.

Additional Information: Consular services in Russia have been strictly limited since May after the U.S. said it would curtail services following Russia’s move to bar U.S. Mission Russia from employing non-Russian nationals. The U.S. government designated Russian nationals as “homeless nationals” in October.

BAL Analysis: Immigrant visa services in Russia remain available only in very limited, emergency situations. Russian nationals applying for U.S. visas should follow the embassy’s guidance; immigrant visa applicants in Russia should plan on booking their appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw. Nonimmigrant (temporary) visa services remain unavailable in Russia except for diplomatic or official travel. BAL will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates on significant developments.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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