RIYADH, 18 June 2003 — The US Embassy has announced that it has started a telephone appointment system to cope with the increased demand for US non-immigrant visas. The aim is to streamline the system for processing of visa applicants.
Under the new system, all applicants for non-immigrant visas will be required to call the embassy to schedule an interview, which will be assigned on a first-call, first-serve basis.
According to a press release from the embassy, personal interviews are required for all applicants between the ages of 12 and 70. Applicants who do not fall in this age range must still schedule an appointment to have their family member or representative appear at the embassy. No one will be admitted to the consular section without an appointment for an interview.
Interviews will be scheduled for Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The consulate general in Jeddah will continue to serve applicants from the Western Province without an appointment system. At this time the Consulate General in Jeddah cannot accept applicants from Riyadh or Dhahran.
The press release states that it can take up to four weeks or longer to complete visa processing for many applicants. This fact should be considered when making travel plans to the United States.
The embassy has called on non-immigrant visa applicants to schedule their appointments by calling the visa appointment desk at 488-1472 or 488-7678, Saturday through Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 12 noon and between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. All applicants are required to provide their passport numbers.
