A COVID-era policy that allows visa applicants more time to book appointments after paying the applicable State Department fee ends this month.

‌Key Points:

  • Visa applicants typically have 365 days from the time they pay the Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee to schedule an appointment before their receipt expires.
  • Applicants were given additional time to book appointments under a temporary COVID-19 policy that will come to an end on Sept. 30, 2023.
  • Under this change, all MRV fee receipts issued before Oct. 1, 2022, will expire Sept. 30, 2023. While appointments using receipts issued before Oct. 1, 2022, must be made before Sept. 30, the interviews themselves can occur after that date.

‌BAL Analysis: Applicants with MRV receipts issued before Oct. 1, 2022, are encouraged to book appointments this month in order to avoid having to pay their MRV fee another time. Similarly, applicants with receipts issued before this date should not to attempt to change their appointment dates on or after Oct. 1, 2023. Doing so will result in the appointment being canceled and the forfeiture of their receipt. For more information, find the State Department’s announcement of this change here.

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

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