DOS

Press Statement

 Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 26, 2012

Question: Is the issuance of a waiver during the visa process protected under visa confidentiality as part of the visa process?

Answer: Yes, we maintain waiver requests and decisions as part of our visa records, and visa records are confidential under Section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). For the purposes of INA Section 222(f), a “record” includes information or documents pertaining to an individual visa applicant.

A “record” may consist of:

Mexico City, June 29, 2012 – Following President Obama’s efforts to promote travel and tourism as important contributions to job creation and economic growth, the U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that beginning July 1, 2012, an expanded visa renewal program will allow many more Mexican citizens and residents to renew their nonimmigrant visas without a follow-on interview at the Embassy or a U.S. Consulate.

Media Note

 Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 3, 2012

Media Note

 Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 2, 2012

Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs is visiting Guatemala from July 1-3 as part of a Congressional Delegation led by Senator Mary Landrieu. The delegation, which includes officials from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is meeting with Guatemalan officials to discuss progress in resolving the remaining intercountry adoption transition cases.

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 26, 2012

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard will travel from June 26-29, 2012, to Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to meet with resettled refugees, local and state government officials, resettlement agencies and other community members involved in the resettlement of refugees.

The guidance for issuing B-1 visas in lieu of H is currently under review bur remains in effect until further notice. In order to avoid delays at the port of entry, consular officers are to annotate the B-1 visa with “B in lieu of H, 9 FAM 41.31 N11.”

The Department of State recently posted its July Visa Bulletin indicating that the cut-off date for EB-2 Worldwide, Mexico and the Philippines has regressed to Jan. 1, 2009. The June cut-off date for EB-2 Worldwide, Mexico and the Philippines is "C" for "current." This means that a cut-off date is not specified for these categories through the end of the month.

U.S. Department of State Releases "Visit America" Video as Visa Interview Wait Times Remain Low

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 13, 2012

Please check the attachment to determine "Recent Employment Preference Cut-Off Dates".