The consular section of the U.S. embassy in Bishkek to resume visa interview appointments from December 1

AKIPRESS.COM – The consular section of the US Embassy will be opening visa interview appointments for all visa services as of December 1, 2021. AKIpress asked the US Embassy spokesperson to Bishkek, Nolen Johnson, to answer several questions about this process.

– Please explain in more detail how visa interview appointments worked before COVID?

Prior to COVID, our office was open to all nonimmigrant visa interviews, immigrant and diversity visa interviews, and services for U.S. citizens. Due to social distancing measures for the safety of our candidates and staff, we had to reduce the number of seats in our waiting room from around 25 to 5, which significantly reduced the number of interviews. that we can complete in a day.

– Why did the US government reopen visa interview appointments?

We are confident that the social distancing measures we have put in place from December will allow our applicants and staff to have a safe and positive visa application experience, but it also depends on our applicants. Please wear your mask properly, respect social distancing, and arrive on time – if visa applicants arrive early, unfortunately, they may have to wait a long time before the Embassy has room in the room waiting for them.

– What has been the process of issuing visas in recent months?

In March 2020, the consular section closed for everything except emergency services. We have gradually opened up services and appointments over the past few months as the health situation improves in the country. Over the past several months, we’ve been open to services for U.S. citizens, in addition to limited visa appointments, including immigrant, student, and work visas. We also responded to emergency interview requests.

– Will there remain visa restrictions?

Thanks to the Kyrgyz Republic’s introduction of new biometric passports, there are no visa restrictions in place. However, we do anticipate that in the short term there will be significant demand for appointments which may exceed the supply we can provide under social distancing rules, especially for tourist visas. We ask our applicants to be patient as we work to try to give everyone the opportunity to apply.

– What are the vaccination requirements (by schedule, by type)? What vaccines available in Kyrgyzstan will be accepted in the United States?

According to the CDC, you are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series of COVID vaccine. We ask travelers to consult the lists of vaccines accepted by the WHO and the FDA directly, as these lists are frequently updated. A vaccine approved on either list meets United States travel requirements.

– Do children also need to be vaccinated?

Children under the age of 18 are exempt from the vaccination requirement for foreign travelers, but children aged 2 and over must always present a document certifying a negative COVID-19 test result before traveling.

– Do the requirements for PCR tests remain?

All fully vaccinated travelers aged 2 years and over must present documentation of a negative COVID-19 viral test result, performed within 3 days of departure. For more information on testing requirements, please see the CDC website.