Border posts no longer issuing visa to Iranian students, visitors and workers in the US

["Kamyar Zadeh" <kalank10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

For visa processing outside of the United States, the 20-day waiting period
will apply to males aged 16-45 from at least the following countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates,
and Yemen.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Office of International Services" <ois@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Office of International Services" <ois@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 8:11 AM
Subject: OIS Update (11/20/2001): Border posts no longer issuing visas to
third country nationals


> IMPORTANT UPDATE (11/20/2001) BORDER POSTS NO LONGER ISSUING VISAS TO
> THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
> ** PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE MESSAGE CAREFULLY AND FORWARD TO OTHERS WHO
> MAY BENEFIT FROM THIS INFORMATION.
>
> The State Department has just announced that, until further notice, the
> United States Consulates in Canada and Mexico will no longer offer visa
> services to anyone but nationals and residents of those two countries.
> This announcement comes on top of last week's announcement that the
> State Department has instituted a 20 day waiting period for nonimmigrant
> visas for men, ages 16-45, who are nationals of at least 25
> predominantly Arab and Muslim countries.
>
> While the 20-day waiting period applies only to men who are nationals
> of specified countries (see below), the suspension of consular service
> in
> Canada and Mexico for "third country nationals" (nationals of countries
> other than the country in which the consulate is located) affects ALL
> visa applicants.
>
> This change in processing affects many of our international visitors
> who are accustomed to being able to travel to Canada or Mexico in order
> to obtain nonimmigrant visas. Often, nonimmigrant visas are obtained by
> appointment in Canada or Mexico to avoid the inconvenience of applying
> in one's home country, or applying for a visa stamp during a business or
> pleasure trip outside of the United States. As of this most recent
> announcement from the Department of State, the option of applying for
> renewed visa stamps in Canada and Mexico will no longer be available (at
> least for a temporary unspecified period).
>
> Applicants who have scheduled appointments in Canada and Mexico in the
> next few weeks will be notified by mail that their appointments have
> been canceled. If any international (who is not a national or resident
> of Canada or Mexico) is planning to travel to Canada or Mexico in order
> to get a nonimmigrant visa in the next few weeks, they should cancel
> their travel plans to Mexico or Canada for now.
>
> The changes in Canada or Mexico will increase interest in the process
> of visa "revalidation" in the United States, where an individual can
> obtain a new visa by mail through the U.S. State Department in
> Washington. This option, however, is only available to persons seeking a
> second or subsequent E, H, L, O or P visa. A person's first application
> for issuance of an E, H, L, O or P nonimmigrant visa must always be made
> outside the United States. Some anticipate that the process of obtaining
> a visa in the United States, already taking 6-8 weeks, will take even
> longer as volume increases.
>
> For visa processing outside of the United States, the 20-day waiting
> period will apply to males aged 16-45 from at least the following
> countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea,
> Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia,
> Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,
> Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The waiting period will be
> used by the State Department to cross check applicants names with the
> FBI's terrorism databases and other law enforcement sources, and
> applicants subject to the new security screening will also be required
> to complete a new background questionnaire form that will cover previous
> military service and weapons training, previous travels and whether the
> applicant has previously had any other passports.
>
> Please keep in ming that this information has only been recently
> released by the U.S. Department of State. The OIS will attempt to keep
> you as up to date as possible as more information is released. We
> understand that many internationals plan travel during the upcoming
> holiday season and that these newly implemented restrictions will
> probably cause significant delays in obtaining re-entry visa stamps
> overseas. For internationals reading this update, please be aware of the
> risks of such delays when planning your holiday travel. For
> administrators reading this update, please be sure your international
> students, faculty and staff are aware of the potential delays.
>
> As always, please feel free to share this information with others who
> may be interested. If you have any questions or need additional
> information, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
>
> You can continue to remain well informed about workshops and training
> sessions offered by our office; recent changes in U.S. immigration law
> affecting international students, faculty, and staff at the JHMI;
> changes in our office policies and/or procedures; and much more by
> regularly visiting our Internet site. You will be notified of any
> changes to the site via this e-mail listserv. Please encourage other
> internationals who are in the U.S. as non-immigrants to subscribe to
> this e-mail listserv. Also, please encourage JHMI faculty and staff
> members who deal with internationals to subscribe to this list as well.
> To subscribe, an individual simply needs to send an e-mail to
> ois-on@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . Do not type anything in the subject line
> or body of the e-mail. Simply send a "blank" message to this address.
>
> Thank you.
>
> -----
> Jennifer L. Kerilla
> The Office of International Services
> The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
> Phone: 410.955.3371 / Fax: 410.955.0871
> E-Mail: jkerilla@xxxxxxxx
> Internet: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/intlsvcs
>
> -----
> ** Subscribe to the International Services E-mail
> Listserv by sending a message to the following:
> ois-on@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . You do not need
> to type anything in the subject line or body of the
> e-mail. Just send a blank e-mail. **
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> -----------
>
> Do not reply to this message. This is a moderated mailing list.  Messages
> are deleted immediately and will not be answered.  Inquiries about this
> posting should be directed to the Office of International Services by
> sending a message to jkerilla@xxxxxxxxx
>
> To be removed from the list, send a message to:
>
>      ois-off@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> For information about this list or problems with this list, contact the
> list administrator at:
>
>    ATIS List Admin <listadm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
> Vist the Office of International Services web page at
>
> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/intlsvcs
>