December 31, 2002

Changes in Processing of Non-Immigrant Visa Applications in London

Effective January 6, 2003, almost all non-immigrant visa applicants will be required to be interviewed by a consular officer at the US Embassy in London (by appointment only).

All non-immigrant visa applicants will have a mandatory in-person interview before their visa applications can be adjudicated. However, there will be some exceptions. Categories of applicants who will NOT be required to be physically present for the interview and may apply through the mail are: (1) applicants under 16 years of age; (2) applicants 60 years old or over who were not born in, or are a passport holder of, any of the seven countries designated as "state sponsors of terrorism"; or (3) applicants for O, P, or I visas or who are airline crew applying for C-1/D visas. All others will require an interview, by appointment only, at the US Embassy in London as of January 6, 2003.

To schedule an interview appointment, applicants must call the Operator Assisted Visa Information Service at 09066-444-546 Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm, and Saturday between 9am-4pm. The rate for this call is $1.30 per minute; this phone number can only be accessed in the United Kingdom. If outside the UK, you should have someone located inside the UK make the call to schedule the appointment for you.

You may schedule one interview per family or married couple. Everyone else must schedule individual interviews. Parents of children under 16 are permitted to bring the child’s application and accompanying documentation to the US Embassy at the time of their interview.

Anyone arriving more than 30 minutes late for their interview will be refused and required to reschedule.

The interview process may take up to four hours.

Applicants are advised to bring the following to the interview appointment: (1) a stamped, self-addressed special delivery envelope; (2) all documents required for the application; (3) London-issued US embassy visa application form (DS-156), DS-157 (now required of all applicants), DS-158 (if applicable); and NIV27A; and (4) completed fee documentation. Routine visa applications will be mailed back to the applicant within two work days in the envelope the applicant provides. Applicants should keep a record of the reference number of that envelope and have someone available to sign for it upon arrival.

No applications will be adjudicated on the day of the interview. For this reason, applicants should schedule interviews in advance of their travel requirements to ensure the adjudication process will be completed, visas entered in passports and passports returned via mail in a timely fashion before travel.

Be advised that the "two work day" turnaround required by the US Embassy is for "routine visa applications" only. Complex applications or applications with missing documentation may take longer to process. Also, "the two work day" is for the "adjudication" process only. It does not mean the visa will be "approved" in two work days. Due to the review of visa practices by the DOS and others since September 11, 2001, applications are being scrutinized more closely and some are taking longer to process than in the past. Applicants will be advised at the interview if their applications require additional processing time.