Monrovia – In what is being perceived as a major slap to the George Weah-led government, the United States Embassy in Liberia has temporarily suspended Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) operations and limiting its Immigrant Visa services.
While it is unclear whether the move is timed to the upcoming December 30 protest in Liberia, the US State Department website states that U.S. Embassies and Consulates are sometimes forced to limit or at times suspend visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war and/or security concerns, among other reasons.
The embassy, in a statement posted on its website Monday, notes that previously scheduled NIV appointments have been canceled. We regret there are no slots available for rescheduling at the moment. “For applicants who previously made NIV appointments: We will reschedule all applicants through our online appointment system as soon as possible; you will receive further notification from us at that time. For applicants who wish to make new NIV appointments: We will update this page when we are able to schedule new appointments. For applicants with genuine emergencies: You may request an NIV expedited visa appointment at http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/lr/lr-niv-expeditedappointment.asp. The Embassy will continue to provide American Citizen Services and limited Immigrant Visa services during this period. We regret the inconvenience this temporary suspension causes to Liberian applicants.”
While it is unclear whether the move is timed to the upcoming December 30 protest in Liberia, the US State Department website states that U.S. Embassies and Consulates are sometimes forced to limit or at times suspend visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war and/or security concerns, among other reasons.
According to the US State Department, the following U.S. Embassies and Consulates have suspended visa services because of natural disasters, civil unrest, war, security concerns, and/or other reasons. They do not include U.S. Embassies and Consulates closed for holidays or where visa services are not being provided for a limited number of days.
For example, in Belarus, Minsk, full visa services are suspended until, but the embassy in Minsk does process non-immigrant visa applications for the following limited categories: A visas for diplomats and government officials; G visas for employees and representatives to international organizations; B visas for relatives of Belarusian diplomats serving at Belarusian diplomatic missions in the United States; visas for family and medical emergencies requiring urgent travel; visas for U.S. Government-sponsored travel and programs; and visas for senior citizens, 70 years of age and older.
In Tripoli, Libya, all visa services suspended and in Portugal, Ponta Delgada, U.S. Consulate Ponta Delgada no longer provides visa services although the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon continue to provide full nonimmigrant visa services for applicants.
In Syria, Damascus, Venezuela and Yemen, Sana’a, all visa services at U.S. Embassy Damascus are suspended.