INS and Visa Updates

From: Nelson, Ruth Thor
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 11:45 AM
To: Spiller, Fran

Visa services have been suspended at a number of U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide, due to the war in Iraq. Per the list below, garnered from statements made by the U.S. Department of State, many embassies/consulates have either closed or been limited to emergency services.

All nonimmigrants, especially those in need of visas, should consider postponing or canceling nonessential international travel plans during this time of crisis. If travel must be undertaken, we recommend personally reviewing the travel warnings (http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html) and local U.S. embassy conditions in the destination country (http://usembassy.state.gov/) to ascertain the current U.S. consulate conditions. The list below is illustrative, but is no substitute for personal confirmation via these sources. New closures can occur at any time as U.S. ambassadors may base decisions on the local security situation.

• The list of affected consulates is:
• Afghanistan: Kabul is closed
• Argentina: Buenos Aires is closed
• Australia: Canberra and all consular posts are closed
• Brazil: Sao Paolo issuing emergency visas only; reduced services
• Egypt: Cairo is closed
• France: Paris issuing emergency visas only; other posts closed
• Indonesia: Surabaya is closed
• Israel: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are closed
• Jordan: Amman is closed
• Kazakhstan: Alamaty is closed
• Kenya: Nairobi is closed
• Macedonia: Skopje is closed
• Nigeria: Lagos is closed; Abuja is running on reduced operations
• Norway: Oslo is closed
• Pakistan: all posts are closed
• Romania: Bucharest is closed
• Saudi Arabia: Riyadh is closed
• South Africa: all posts are closed
• Syria: Damascus is closed
• Turkey: Istanbul is closed; other posts currently open with reduced services
• Venezuela: Caracas is closed
• Yemen: Sanaa is closed

-Sources: U.S. Department of State and CNN.com, March 20, 2003

From: Nelson, Ruth Thor
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 10:44 AM
To: Spiller, Fran

• The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) published a notice requiring all nonimmigrant males born on or before February 24, 1987, who are nationals of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, or Kuwait, and who were admitted to the United States on or before September 30, 2003, and who will remain in the United States after March 28, 2003, to appear before and register with INS pursuant to the special registration requirements between February 24, 2003, and March 28, 2003. To view this notice, issued January 16, 2003, access: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-1163.htm.
• INS reopened the special registration period for citizens or nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen who were required to register under the November 6, 2002 [67 Fed. Reg. 67766] and November 22, 2002 [67 Fed. Reg. 70526] notices but did not do so. The INS notice allows such individuals, to appear for special registration with INS between January 27, 2003, and February 7, 2003. Registration during this period will be considered timely under the original notices. To view this notice, issued January 16, 2003, access: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-879.htm.
• The INS maintains the following web site which includes up-to-the minute citations of evolving issues and regulations. http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/index.htm