RIYADH, 1 June 2006 — The US Embassy has announced a new 24-hour online visa information and appointment service to help visa applicants in Saudi Arabia. The new service will also help to fix time slots for interviews of visa applicants, while giving the latest information about American visas, eligibility criteria and other details relevant for visa seekers.
Details of how to use the new service are available on the website in both Arabic and English at http://ksa.us-visaservices.com. Visa information continues to be available at http://riyadh.usembassy.gov at no cost.
Andrew Mitchell, a spokesman of the US Embassy, said that the new service would be effective from today. This service will enable the applicants to access from anywhere the world, accurate and up-to-the-minute information about US visa matters and schedule appointments for the required in-person non-immigrant visa interviews.
“Applicants availing this new online service will be charged a fee of SR45 to an international Visa or MasterCard credit card,” said a statement released by the US Embassy yesterday. It said that the new online services are part of the embassy’s continuing effort to improve the responsiveness and efficiency of visa services in the Kingdom.
“Up to five family members living in the same household can be scheduled at the same time for interview with the help of new service,” it said. The embassy, however, has asked the visa applicants to apply for visa at least four months in advance. “Because of the current high volume of visa appointment requests, those planning to travel to the US are urged to begin the visa application process well in advance of their desired departure date,” the embassy statement said.
Currently, there is a 14-week delay for all student visas appointment requests, and a six- to eight-week delay for all other visa appointment requests. Medical visa appointments will be accommodated as quickly as possible.
The US Embassy issues non-immigrant visas to those who intend to enter the US temporarily for business, tourism, or study. One may apply for a non-immigrant visa only at the US Embassy in Riyadh. Based on the mandate of the US Congress, all applicants aged 14 to 79 years old must appear in person for an interview and submit fingerprints for the collection of a biometric identifier.
In addition to the huge increase in demand for student visas, overall visa issuances to Saudi citizens increased from 16,004 in 2004 to 27,657 in 2005.
